Kulbergs Delivers United List 41 Seats in the Saeima
The United List will hold 41 of the 100 seats in the next Saeima, the largest faction in the history of Latvia's parliament. A commentary attributes the success largely to Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.
The 3 October election sharply changed the balance of power in Latvian politics. The United List (AS) will hold 41 of the 100 seats in the next Saeima, making it the largest faction in the history of Latvia's parliament.
A commentary in the magazine Ir says this will substantially reduce the influence of other parties and change how decisions are made in a Saeima that is usually more balanced and varied.
A result that surprised even the winners
AS led the polls before the election, but after the results were announced even the alliance's own politicians said they had not expected such a strong showing. In September, 14% of all eligible voters surveyed by SKDS said they were ready to vote for AS, as did 23% of those who had already decided whom to support. On election day, 35% of all those who voted backed the list.
Kulbergs as the main reason
Asked what made the list so attractive to voters, the commentary's author answers briefly: Andris Kulbergs.
The content of the AS campaign differed little from the promises of «crisis managers» in the previous election, who vowed to save Latvia from catastrophe and carry out major change. Back then, such an offer came from AS co-founder and prime ministerial candidate Uldis Pīlēns of Liepāja. This time the «protest vote» against the «old elite» turned out to be a vote for the sitting prime minister, who is not a member of any party but is declared the «crisis solution» in the AS programme.
