Gobzems List Party Says It Will Carry On After Election Failure, No Plans to Disband

The Latvian political party "Gobzema saraksts" (Gobzems List) will continue operating after failing to enter parliament in the 15th Saeima election, and is not considering dissolving itself. Board member Agris Freifalts told the news agency LETA that the party, which received 0.98% of the vote, will no longer receive state funding, which is allocated to political parties based on election results.

Planned changes

Freifalts said the party will draw up new statutes and broaden its decision-making bodies. A council is to be created that would elect the board. The council could have 21 members and would serve as a regular forum for political discussion. The board would have seven members, and only the council would have the right to elect it.

According to Freifalts, working group meetings to organise a congress have been held for the third week. More than 40 people are involved in the preparations, and the congress itself could take place in March or April next year.

Members and funding

The board member claimed the party retains a "stable core". By his account, it still has more than 1,300 members, and membership even grew during the election campaign. Meetings between the leadership and members are planned for mid-November to discuss preparations for the congress, future activities and how to operate without state funding. Freifalts suggested that work without such funding might be more interesting and active, and that people would join in more willingly.

Party history

The party was founded by Aldis Gobzems before the 14th Saeima election. After the failure, he announced he was leaving politics, moved to Spain and changed his name to Arigo Toro. The party operated under the names "Likums un kārtība" (Law and Order) and "Katram un katrai" (For Everyone), later becoming "Platforma 21", which went through several internal changes of leadership and unsuccessful attempts to take part in elections. Before the 15th Saeima election it was renamed Gobzems List. Results of the 2022 election allowed the party to receive substantial state funding — this year it was entitled to more than 213,000 euros.