Liepiņa again recites the Lord's Prayer before taking deputy's oath

Linda Liepiņa, a deputy of Latvia's parliament, the 15th Saeima, who represents the party "Latvija pirmajā vietā" (Latvia First, LPV), recited the Lord's Prayer before taking the deputy's oath. She did the same at the first sitting of the 14th Saeima. After the prayer she swore the oath and signed it, formally confirming her commitment to carrying out the duties of a deputy.

Taking the oath is a required step with which newly elected deputies begin their work in the Saeima. Those elected give a solemn pledge. In it they promise to be loyal to Latvia, to strengthen its sovereignty and the Latvian language as the only official language, to defend Latvia as an independent and democratic state, to perform their duties honestly and to the best of their conscience, and to respect the Constitution (Satversme) and the laws of Latvia. Every new deputy confirms this commitment with a signature.

Once the solemn pledge has been given, the Saeima votes on a draft decision to confirm the powers of the deputies of the 15th Saeima.

Balance of power in the new Saeima

The results of the 15th Saeima election have already been reported. The "Apvienotais saraksts" (United List, AS) won 41 seats and "Latvija pirmajā vietā" won 17. SV/AJ is represented with 15 mandates, the National Alliance (NA) and "Progresīvie" (The Progressives) each took ten, and "Jaunā vienotība" (New Unity, JV) won seven.

The Saeima has 100 seats in total, and these results from six political forces determine the make-up of the new parliament.