New Saeima lawmakers: oldest 73, youngest not yet 26

Following Latvia's 15th Saeima elections, new data shows the demographic profile of the 100 newly elected lawmakers, with calculations by the LETA news agency putting their average age at roughly 48.75 years.

Youngest and oldest

The two youngest members were both born in 2000 and represent different political forces: Eduards Zivtiņš of the "Latvia First" alliance and Selma Levrence of "The Progressives." Publicly available information shows neither has yet turned 26, though Zivtiņš is a couple of months younger. The oldest newly elected member is Natālija Ābola of the "Sovereign Power/Union of New Latvians" alliance, who turned 73 this past February.

Of all 100 elected lawmakers, only nine were born after May 4, 1990, when Latvia's independence was restored.

Education and prior experience

Nearly all newly elected members — 95 of 100 — declared higher education in their filings with the Central Election Commission. Four reported secondary education as their highest level, and one reported only basic education.

The new parliament includes 28 members who served in the previous Saeima, nine sitting government ministers including Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, and 26 local government councillors. A further 12 newly elected members listed their main occupation as positions tied to the party they represent — including ministerial advisers, parliamentary secretaries, and aides to the party's European Parliament members. Some lawmakers came from state or municipal education and healthcare institutions, while relatively few had previously worked in the private sector.

Election results

The "Apvienotais saraksts" (United List) won decisively in the 15th Saeima elections with 41 seats. It was followed by "Latvia First" with 17 seats, "Sovereign Power/Union of New Latvians" with 15, the National Alliance and The Progressives with ten seats each, and "New Unity" with seven. Voter turnout was just 51.8% — the lowest since the restoration of independence.