Several Kuldīga council members among Saeima election candidates
With less than two months until Latvia's 15th Saeima elections, several sitting Kuldīga municipal councillors are running for parliament, while former pro-Russian party candidates have shifted to other lists.
With Latvia's 15th Saeima elections approaching, attention is turning not only to party platforms but also to candidates' political backgrounds. According to a compilation by the LETA news agency, although the Latvian Russian Union is not competing in this election, 22 of its former candidates are attempting to enter parliament through other party lists. The largest group — 14 — are running with the Sovereign Power/Union of Latvian New Conservatives list. The party "Latvia First" has 20 candidates who previously ran on other lists in the 14th Saeima, six of whom had represented Harmony. Smaller-scale movement of candidates between organizations is also seen in New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers, the United List, and the National Alliance.
Fewer candidates than four years ago
A total of 1,428 candidates are registered this year, more than a third of whom also ran in the previous election. Of the 100 current Saeima members, 81 are seeking re-election. Compared with 2022, both the number of parties and candidates has fallen — that year there were 18.3 candidates per seat, compared with 14.3 this year. Some lists, such as Gobzems's list and Harmony Centre in Kurzeme, have fewer than ten candidates.
Kuldīga municipality representatives on the lists
Seventeen people from Kuldīga municipality are seeking a Saeima seat. Topping their respective lists are municipal councillor and entrepreneur Ēriks Pucens (We Change the Rules) and current 14th Saeima member Inga Bērziņa (New Unity). Several other sitting councillors — Ruta Karloviča, Romāns Ernsons, and Agris Kimbors — are also running, representing different parties.
The newspaper is encouraging voters to use the remaining time to study party platforms and candidate information on the Central Election Commission's website, and is inviting the public to a discussion with representatives of parties with a realistic chance of entering parliament, scheduled for September 9 at the Kuldīga Art House.
