Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite leading the smallest elected party and being the biggest loser in terms of both vote share and seats, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš of New Unity was chosen as prime minister.

Background The 2014 elections saw Social Democratic Party "Harmony" emerge as the largest party. Although the largest party, Harmony has not participated in the government. A coalition was formed by Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers and the National Alliance with Laimdota Straujuma as prime minister. On 7 December 2015 she resigned after increasing tensions within the ruling coalition. Following her resignation and several scandals around the Unity leader Solvita Āboltiņa, opinion polls showed a rapid decrease of support for Unity. On 13 January 2016 Māris Kučinskis of the Union of Greens and Farmers was nominated to be the next prime minister by President Raimonds Vējonis. His government was approved by the Saeima on 11 February.

Electoral system The 100 members of the Saeima are elected by open list proportional representation from five multi-member constituencies (Kurzeme, Latgale, Riga (in which overseas votes are counted), Vidzeme and Zemgale) between 13 and 32 seats in size. Seats are allocated using the Sainte-Laguë method with a national electoral threshold of 5%.Electoral system IPU

Electoral alliances The Movement For!, Latvian Development and Growth parties contested the election as the Development/For! alliance, formed on 20 April 2018.

The Social Democratic Workers' Party, the Christian Democratic Union and contested the election as the SKG Alliance electoral list, the memorandum of which was signed by the leaders of the parties on 28 March 2018.

The long-standing alliance of the Latvian Farmers' Union and the Green Party (in cooperation with the regional For Latvia and Ventspils and Liepāja Party) continued.

Unity formed an association in April 2018 with several regional parties under the New Unity alliance. The involved parties are the Kuldīga County Party, For Valmiera and Vidzeme and parties, joined by the Jēkabpils Regional Party. The Latgale Party, after a period of consideration, joined the alliance in July, although its Daugavpils chapter allied itself with The Progressives. The Progressives and Movement For! declined invitations to join the list.

Disqualifications The Central Election Commission of Latvia used its powers to remove eight candidates from submitted lists. It did so after receiving notification from the Interior Ministry that the individuals in question were disqualified from election to the Saeima under the country's election law.Seven candidates not allowed to run in Saeima elections by Central Election Commission The Baltic Course The eight candidates were Aivars Zablockis and Nikolajs Žeļezņakovs (Eurosceptic Action Party), Zigfrīds Laicāns and Valdis Taupmanis (For Alternative), Edgars Krūmiņš (Latvian Association of Regions), Katrīna Brandala (The Progressives), Aivars Silinieks (Latvian Centrist Party) and Tatjana Ždanoka (Latvian Russian Union). Ždanoka has been barred in the past as Latvian courts have found that she was a member of the Communist Party of Latvia after 31 January 1991, making her ineligible. The Election Commission additionally sought information from the Security Police and the Constitution Protection Bureau to confirm her ineligibility.

Prime Minister candidates №PartyCandidate1Union of Greens and FarmersMāris Kučinskis2New Conservative PartyJānis Bordāns3New UnityKrišjānis Kariņš4KPV LVAldis Gobzems5Latvian Association of RegionsEdvards Smiltēns6National AllianceRoberts Zīle7HarmonyVjačeslavs Dombrovskis8Russian UnionAndrejs Mamikins9The Progressives10Development/For!Artis Pabriks

Leading candidate by constituency №PartyLeaderRīgaVidzemeLatgaleKurzemeZemgale1Union of Greens and FarmersDana Reizniece-OzolaMāris KučinskisJānis DūklavsGundars Daudze2HarmonyVjačeslavs DombrovskisAnrijs MatīssIvars Zariņš3National AllianceDace MelbārdeRaivis DzintarsIlze IndriksoneEdvīns Šnore4New UnityEdgars RinkēvičsInese Lībiņa-EgnereArvils AšeradensJānis Reirs5Russian UnionAndrejs MamikinsAndris TolmačovsJevgēņija KrjukovaElita KosakaLudmila Ušakova6Latvian Association of RegionsEdvards SmiltēnsJuris ViļumsNellija KleinbergaInga Bite7ProgressivesAntoņina ŅenaševaInga Liepa-MeiereAgnese LoginaDace KavasaLīga Rasnača8Development/For!Daniels PavļutsArtis PabriksMārtiņš BondarsJuris PūceIlze Viņķele9New ConservativesJānis BordānsIlga ŠuplinskaJuris JurašsKrišjānis Feldmanis10KPV LVArtuss KaimiņšLinda LiepiņaRoberts SpručsAtis ZakatistovsKaspars Ģirģens11Alfrēds BulsVladislavs BautrisSilvestrs RubinsKārlis Krūmiņš12For Latvia from the HeartInguna SudrabaGints GābersJānis ValtervitenheimsJuris JaunzemsIveta Čivčiša13Action PartyJurijs VasiļjevsTamāra MeļņikovaAndris PerjansJeļena Pičoha14For AlternativeEinārs GraudiņšJuris ŽuravļovsJānis KuzinsIgors GlazunovsArtūrs Malta15Latvian Centrist PartyAndžejs ŽdanovičsVazgens SorokinsGeorgijs SokolovskisDainis GrabovskisEdvīns Puķe16SKG Alliance (LSDSP/KDS/)Armands AgrumsJānis DinevičsDaiga CeipinieceArvīds KinstlersValdis Šakars

Other parties

United for Latvia – on 17 May 2018 party leader Inese Muhamberga announced that the party will not run in the elections. Latvian Socialist Party – has not submitted a separate electoral list, instead urging "Latvian workers" to "vote politically bankrupt politicians out of office". Its alliance with Harmony was dissolved in 2014, although some of its members or supporters have continued to run as candidates from Harmony.

Opinion polls Polling firmCommissionerFieldwork dateSample SizeSDPSJVZZSNALRANSLLKSVLLAJKPKPV LVPar!PROWon't voteDon't knowOtherLeadFACTUM24 – 30 September 20182,500219111231(n/a)(Par)15(SKG)1213316Norstat September 201812.76.110.761.41.30.8(n/a)(Par)7.7(SKG)8.42.62.16.932.47.82SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaSeptember 2018about 1,00017.23.89.46.92.21.51.7(n/a)(Par)5.2(SKG)6.251.212.725.51.67.8FACTUM17 – 23 September 20182,381199121232(n/a)(Par)16(SKG)1111223FACTUM10 – 16 September 20181,1642110101333(n/a)(Par)14(SKG)1112237Kantar TNSDelfi8 – 12 September 20181,20014.93.29.84.30.40.30.4(n/a)(Par)5.3(SKG)9.34.00.85385.15.1FACTUM3 – 9 September 20181,29321991443(n/a)(Par)15(SKG)139236NorstatLNT10 – 14 September 201850113.93.395.41.41.9(n/a)(Par)6.1(SKG)7.94.71736.26.24.9FACTUM30 August – 5 September 20181,94722891342(n/a)(Par)15(SKG)1310347NorstatTV3 LatvijaSeptember 201814.93.395.71.8(n/a)(Par)6.9(SKG)6.64.55.437.64.35.9FACTUM27 August – 2 September 20181,91524791232(n/a)(Par)15(SKG)1211359SKDSLatvijas Televīzija August 2018900337.917.89.44.52.71.9(n/a)(Par)4.4(SKG)11.64.81.40.815.2SKDSWebAugust 201890024.75.89.210.542.65.2(n/a)(Par)7.3(SKG)17.78.43.10.17FACTUM25–31 August 20181,750237101233(n/a)(Par)15(SKG)1312348FACTUM22–28 August 20181,337227111223(n/a)(Par)13(SKG)1511347FACTUM20–26 August 20181,340217121222(n/a)(Par)12(SKG)1711364FACTUM13–19 August 20181,4332161212414(n/a)(Par)10(SKG)1610345SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaAugust 2018 ~90021.55.111.56.12.91.81.2(n/a)(Par)2.9(SKG)7.53.11.412.023.00.110FACTUM1–6 August 20181951113214(n/a)(Par)10(SKG)1614253FACTUM26 July – 1 August 20181951212212(n/a)(Par)12(SKG)1812251FACTUM17–23 July 20181,4941951214412(n/a)(Par)10(SKG)1411335SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaJuly 20181,00021.42.912.46.81.11.90.7(n/a)(Par)3.9(SKG)74.40.59SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaJune 20181,00021.02.714.46.11.71.51.2(n/a)(Par)4.0(SKG)4.44.71.113.223.70.06.6SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaMay 20181,00019.13.714.671.71.61.3(n/a)(Par)2.4(SKG)330.613.727.50.44.5NorstatTV3 LatvijaMay 20181,00016.36.217.19.13.22.1(n/a)1.86.1(SKG)3.53.61.826.72.60.8SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaApril 20181,00023.24.912.88.32.82.13.7(SKG)2.41.712.224.70.410.4SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaMarch 20181,00020.44.913.96.31.60.91.00.30.73.61.91.20.312.930.00.46.5SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaFebruary 20181,00021.24.614.57.82.14.11.913.12520.26.7SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaJanuary 20181,00020.42.915.35.82.51.04.12.01.416,5262.15.2SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaDecember 201720.73.514.37.33.61.80.30.80.93.01.51.50.215.3250.56.4SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaNovember 201719.83.815.37.02.42.13.91.61.214262.94.5SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaOctober 201722.53.513.19.53.42.23.91.21.213.823.52.29.4SKDSSeptember 201720.24.411.77.62.31.44.12.01.913.729.41.28.5SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaAugust 201720.93.113.16.84.31.65.50.815.926.11.97.8SKDSJuly 201721.23.713.85.84.52.04.21.417.024.12.47.4SKDSJune 201722.34.014.55.43.03.42.93.512.426.91.77.8SKDSApril 201723.04.114.66.45.12.22.03.812.424.12.38.4SKDSMarch 201721.24.213.17.93.91.92.94.014.324.02.68.1SKDSJanuary 201721.04.210.56.93.81.96.215.026.04.510.5SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaDecember 201617.84.512.57.44.22.46.515.127.12.55.3Latvijas FaktiSeptember 201617.95.017.37.32.52.80.70.30.60.70.03.413.028.60.00.6August 201618.75.218.77.52.22.30.80.30.50.40.13.611.628.10.0TieJuly 201618.66.118.27.12.12.11.30.40.40.30.24.39.429.30.00.4SKDSJuly 201617.86.317.59.12.11.95.916.819.63.00.3SKDSLatvijas TelevīzijaJune 201619.25.417.17.82.33.18.411.322.72.72.1Latvijas FaktiMay 2016 19.14.119.96.22.41.41.30.70.40.20.36.1 12.425.60.00.8Latvijas FaktiApril 2016 16.73.720.08.14.02.20.70.71.00.90.1 11.929.80.03.3Latvijas Fakti 17.95.520.29.04.62.30.70.61.30.60.4 14.722.40.02.3Latvijas Fakti 18.55.418.18.33.92.81.30.50.10.6 17.522.11.00.4Latvijas FaktiFebruary 2016 20.15.921.28.74.62.20.70.41.00.5 11.923.90.01.1Latvijas FaktiJanuary 2016 18.75.316.88.14.71.60.40.30.70.2 12.630.70.01.9Latvijas FaktiDecember 2015 19.55.515.68.75.01.90.40.50.30.3 11.531.00.03.9Latvijas FaktiNovember 2015 18.18.114.98.25.63.60.50.50.50.6 12.626.80.03.2Latvijas FaktiOctober 2015 20.57.215.17.94.42.00.30.70.30.1 13.028.40.05.4Latvijas FaktiAugust 2015 21.78.013.610.04.42.8 12.725.11.78.1Latvijas FaktiApril 2015 20.510.313.39.04.83.91.00.2 11.524.51.07.2Latvijas FaktiFebruary 2015 18.49.812.77.73.63.4 15.326.52.65.72014 electionOctober 2014 23.021.919.716.66.76.91.61.20.9-------0.41.1

Graphical summary

Results

Aftermath Political leaders met on 18 October with the president Raimonds Vējonis. Although they failed to agree on a name for a prime minister, they reiterated their intention to form a coalition government and to exclude Harmony from any coalition, even if it required forming a coalition of five or six parties.Latvian parties’ talks with the president fail to outline a prime minister candidate Baltic News Network, 19 October 2018

On 7 November 2018, Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis asked Bordāns to form a new coalition government and serve as the next Prime Minister of Latvia. Bordāns intended to form a five-party majority coalition, and he announced that his coalition will not include ZZS, a political alliance led by a Latvian oligarch Aivars Lembergs. However, other political parties wished to cooperate also with ZZS. Consequently, Bordāns did not reach an agreement with the coalition partners, and informed the President that he is unable to form the cabinet.

On 14 November 2018, Development/For!, National Alliance and New Unity pulled out of coalition talks with the New Conservative Party and KPV LV, making a five-way centre-right coalition government infeasible.PM-designate fails to form Latvia's new government as three parties walk out of talks Xinhua, 14 November 2018