Petition to cut Latvia's parliament from 100 to 70 MPs collects 10,000 signatures
An initiative on the Manabalss.lv platform calling for reducing the number of Saeima deputies from 100 to 70 has reached the required 10,000 signatures and must now be reviewed by parliament. Its author cites population decline and potential budget savings as key arguments.
A citizens' initiative on the Manabalss.lv platform has collected the required 10,000 signatures for a proposal to reduce the number of deputies in Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, from the current 100 to 70. Signature gathering began on August 26, and the collective submission must now be reviewed by the Saeima.
The initiative was submitted by Ričards Bumbērs, who proposes amending Article 5 of the Constitution (Satversme) to set the Saeima's membership at 70 instead of 100. He also wants the Saeima Election Law adjusted so that mandates across electoral districts would be distributed proportionally to the new deputy count, while preserving the current proportional electoral system.
Rationale behind the number 70
The author explains that 70 was chosen to roughly maintain the same ratio of population to deputies as existed in 1993, when Latvia had about 2.6 million residents and 100 deputies in the Saeima. By comparison, at the start of 2026 the population stood at 1.845 million, while the number of deputies has remained unchanged.
Arguments and potential savings
Among the benefits of a smaller parliament, the author lists greater individual accountability and visibility for deputies, potentially reduced political fragmentation, easier coalition-building, and faster, more focused parliamentary work. A smaller Saeima, he argues, would also make it easier to ensure committee members have relevant expertise, and could strengthen ties with voters and regions.
Budget savings are cited as another argument. The Saeima's 2026 budget is planned at 40.28 million euros, of which roughly 31 million euros is allocated to compensation for deputies and staff. According to Bumbērs' calculations, cutting the number of deputies from 100 to 70 would save approximately 1.5 million euros a year in base salaries alone for the 30 fewer positions, based on 2026 pay levels. Additional savings could come from reduced spending on deputies' assistants, compensations, and other costs directly tied to the number of deputies, the initiative notes.
