Streips warns of risk that voters could elect a pro-Kremlin majority in Saeima election

Columnist Kārlis Streips, writing an opinion piece for the newspaper "Latvijas Avīze," reflects on his personal voting history since arriving in Latvia in 1989 and expresses concern about the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary election.

Decades of elections

Streips recalls having taken part in nearly every Latvian election since the 1989 National Awakening period, when candidates backed by the Latvian Popular Front won a majority in Riga. He also references the Soviet Congress of People's Deputies, where Baltic delegates pushed through condemnation of the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In 1993 he voted for the Latvijas Ceļš alliance and at the time worked in television news, where his team conducted one of the first exit polls outside polling stations.

Criticism of the voting process and parties

The author criticizes the current paper-ballot voting system and notes that in the past voters could also select candidates from other party lists, an option no longer available. He points out that 14 parties and alliances are competing in the upcoming election, but argues several offer little benefit to Latvia, citing politicians with controversial track records and small parties with negligible chances of clearing the electoral threshold.

Warning about turnout

Streips highlights that turnout in the previous parliamentary election was just over 59%, meaning a large share of the population did not vote. He compares this with the United States, criticizing American voters' choices, which he argues have led to negative consequences. He closes by expressing hope that Latvian voters on October 3 will avoid a similar mistake and will not elect a majority inclined to restore relations with Russia and halt support for Ukraine.