Nine of 14 party lists for Saeima election include candidates facing criminal cases

Latvian Television's investigative programme "de facto" reviewed the candidate lists submitted for the upcoming Saeima election and found that nine of the 14 registered party lists include people who have been charged with crimes or are involved in ongoing criminal court cases. That means nearly two-thirds of all parties running in the election have not kept such candidates off their lists entirely.

According to the programme's findings, several lists include more than one candidate with a criminal case, and some of these individuals face proceedings in multiple courts or cases at the same time.

"Latvia First" stands out

Among all parties reviewed, the "Latvia First" (Latvija pirmajā vietā, LPV) party had the highest number of candidates facing criminal charges. The programme reported that in only one electoral district does the top three of LPV's list not include anyone facing a criminal charge — in every other district, at least one of the top three candidates does.

The report did not specify which other parties make up the nine affected lists, nor did it give further detail on the nature of the charges or the candidates' names.