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Parliament name (generic / translated) Saeima / Parliament More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU Yes Affiliation date(s) 1923 - 1936 1991 - LEADERSHIP President Solvita Aboltina (F)  Notes Elected on 2 Nov. 2010, re-elected on 18 Oct. 2011. Secretary General Karlis Sadurskis (M)  COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 100 / 100 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 23 (23.00%) Mode of designation directly elected 100 Term 4 years Last renewal dates 17 September 2011 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address Saeima 11 Jekaba Str. - RIGA LV 1811 (Export mailing lists) Phone (371 6) 708 73 64 708 73 34 Fax (371 6) 708 73 48 E-mail spaura@saeima.lv Website http://www.saeima.lv

Parliament name (generic / translated) Saeima / Parliament Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 7 June 1995 Last amendment: 06.04.2006 Mode of designation directly elected 100 Constituencies 5 multi-member constituencies (from 13 to 29 seats each): Riga (which also includes polling stations abroad), Vidzeme, Latgale, Kurzeme, and Zemgale. Voting system Proportional: Party-list system with preferential voting. Electors vote for lists of candidates but can also indicate specific support or rejection. Only those parties obtaining at least 5% of the national vote gain representation in the Saeima. Distribution of seats among them is based on the Saint-Lagüe method. Within each list, the order of candidates is re-arranged to reflect the preferences expressed by the voters. The vote for each candidate is equal to the number of votes cast for the list, plus or minus specific votes. Those candidates with the highest totals are declared elected, up to the number of seats allotted to each list. There are no reserved seats or quotas for women, ethnic minorities or other categories. Vacancies which occur between general elections are filled by the "next-in-line" candidates of the same party list. Voting is not compulsory. Voter requirements - age: 18 years - Latvian citizens (including naturalized citizens) - citizens overseas can vote without restriction - disqualifications: to be serving court sentences in penitentiaries, legal incapacity, insanity/mental illness CANDIDATES Eligibility - qualified electors - age: 21 years - Latvian citizens (including naturalized citizens) - citizens overseas are eligible without restriction - ineligibilities: persons legally declared incapacitated, persons serving a court sentence in a penitentiary or having been criminally convicted; former employees of the USSR, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR) or foreign state security, intelligence or counter-intelligence services; persons active after 13 January 1991 in the Latvian Communist Party (CPSU), the Working People’s International Front of the Latvian SSR, the United Board of Working Bodies, the Organisation of War and Labour Veterans, the All-Latvia Salvation Committee or its regional committees Incompatibilities - President of the Republic and some other public officials - members of the European Parliament - members of the armed forces Candidacy requirements - lists of candidates must be submitted to the Central Election Commission between 80 and 60 days prior to the poll - legally registered political parties or legally registered associations of parties can submit candidatures without restriction - parties surpassing the 5% threshold are refunded the required 1,000-lats deposit

Parliament name (generic / translated) Saeima / Parliament Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 17 September 2011 Timing and scope of renewal Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament following the early dissolution of this body in July 2011. General elections had previously been held in October 2010. Following a decision by referendum to dissolve parliament, parliamentary elections were held on 17 September 2011, just 11 months after the previous ones. In the previous elections held in October 2010, the centre-right Unity coalition (VIENOTIBA), led by Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, took 33 seats, four more than the left-wing Centre for Harmony (SC), led by the Mayor of the capital Riga, Mr. Nils Usakovs. Mr. Dombrovskis' Unity coalition subsequently formed a new coalition government with the Union of Farmers and Greens (ZZS), which took 22 seats. Prime Minister Dombrovskis' new government continued to take severe austerity measures to stabilize the country's finances. The country is due to reimburse a 7.5-billion euro loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by 2014 and another 1.3 billion euros from the European Union (EU), both granted in December 2008 following the global economic crisis. The budget deficit, which reached almost 10 per cent in 2009, came down to 4.2 per cent in 2011 and is expected to fall to 2.5 per cent in 2012. The country intends to adopt the euro in 2014. In May 2011, parliament refused to grant prosecutors permission to investigate alleged corruption scandals involving Mr. Ainars Slesers, a wealthy businessman and leader of For a Better Latvia (LPP, an opposition party which took eight seats in the 2010 elections). On 28 May, President Valdis Zatlers called a referendum proposing that parliament be dissolved, accusing the institution of not taking sufficient action to fight corruption. No President had ever called such a referendum before. On 2 June, in the indirect presidential election held in parliament, Mr. Andris Berzins (ZZS) defeated President Zatlers, who in theory had the backing of the Unity coalition, thus revealing internal divisions within the coalition government. On 9 July, two days after his presidential term officially ended, the former President launched the Zatlers' Reform Party. Speaker Solvita Aboltina (Unity) described the move as a "mistake", arguing that the new party would split the electorate, thus resulting in political instability. Later the same month, TB/LNNK and the Everything for Latvia party (VL) - which had been in an electoral alliance in the 2010 elections - officially merged as the National Alliance under the co-leadership of Mr. Roberts Zile and Mr. Raivis Dzintars. On 3 August, three parties in the Prime Minister's Unity coalition - New Era (JL), the Civic Union (PS) and the Society for Other Politics (SCP) - officially merged as the Unity party. Two days later, Mr. Slesers modified his party's name to "Slesers' Reform Party-Latvia's Way". On 23 July, 44.71 per cent of the 1.5 million registered voters turned out for the referendum, 94.30 per cent of whom voted in favour of dissolving parliament, thus paving the way for early elections to be held on 17 September. In all, 1,092 candidates from 13 parties were vying for seats in parliament. Against a backdrop of economic crisis, most parties focused on the economy. Prime Minister Dombrovskis (Unity) pledged to stabilize the financial situation and reduce the unemployment rate (which had reached 12.6% cent in July 2011) to 7 per cent. The Prime Minister said that the adoption of the euro remained the best option for Latvia despite the recent euro zone crisis. He called on voters' support for the Unity party so that he could complete the economic stabilization programme, which entailed meeting the Maastricht Treaty criteria on the budget and inflation in 2012. The Zatlers' Reform Party campaigned against the influence of the business lobby or the "oligarchs" as it called them. The party promised to implement major reforms to remove the "barriers preventing balanced and sustainable growth" and reduce income taxes while raising real estate tax. It pledged to adopt the euro by 2014. The Slesers' Reform Party-Latvia's Way, ran under the slogan "Don't save money, earn money!", stating that it would support an increase in the State budget. It criticized the Zatlers' Reform Party, arguing that seasoned entrepreneurs should not be prevented from participating in politics. The Centre for Harmony (SC) was leading in the opinion polls. It draws support from the Russian-speaking community which accounts for about one third of the country's 2.3 million inhabitants. The SC promised to renegotiate the terms of the 2008 IMF-EU bailout. It also said that it would raise the budget deficit to between 5 and 6 per cent instead of lowering it to the 3 per cent required by the EU's Stability and Growth Pact. The Unity party criticized the SC, arguing that such a move would threaten the financial stability of the country and impede economic recovery. The National Alliance, which had supported Mr. Zatlers in the June 2011 presidential elections, pledged to protect the interests of Latvians and prevent the "partners of the Kremlin" from forming a coalition governmental. In all, 59.49 per cent of the 1.5 million registered voters turned out at the polls. The SC came in first with 31 seats, followed by the Zatlers' Reform Party with 22 seats, which took two more than the Prime Minister's Unity party. The National Alliance and the ZZS took 14 and 13 seats respectively. Mr. Slesers' party failed to win parliamentary representation. Unity, Zatlers' Reform Party and the National Alliance subsequently reached an agreement to form a coalition government, whereby Mr. Dombrovskis would become Prime Minister and Mr. Zalters Speaker of parliament. On 17 October, the newly elected parliament held its first session. Mr. Zatlers failed to win the required majority after two rounds of voting. The following day, parliament re-elected Ms. Solvita Aboltina (Unity) as its Speaker. On 19 October, President Berzins invited Mr. Dombrovskis to form a new government. On 25 October, Mr. Dombrovskis' three-party coalition government won a vote of confidence in parliament. STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 17 September 2011 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 1'542'700 917'680 (59.49%) 1'211 916'469 Notes Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes Centre for Harmony (SC) 259'930 28.36 Zatlers' Reform Party 190'853 20.82 Unity (VIENOTIBA) 172'567 18.33 National Alliance (NA) 127'208 13.88 Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) 111'955 12.22 Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats Gain/Loss Centre for Harmony (SC) 31 2 Zatlers' Reform Party 22 Unity (VIENOTIBA) 20 -13 National Alliance (NA) 14 6 Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) 13 -9 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 79 21 21.00% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Sources: Parliament (05.10.2011, 13.01.2012) http://www.velesanas2011.cvk.lv/

Parliament name (generic / translated) Saeima / Parliament Structure of parliament Unicameral NATURE Nature of the mandate · Free representation Start of the mandate · When the mandates are validated (see Validation of mandates) Validation of mandates · Validation by the Saeima (Art. 18 of the Constitution of 15.02.1922, as amended up to and including 23.10.1998, Rule 1 of the Rules of Procedure) · Procedure (Rules 2 and 3 of the Rules of Procedure; for substitute members, see Rules 5 (1) and 6 (1) of the Rules of Procedure) End of the mandate · On the day when the newly elected Parliament meets (Art. 12, 13, and 49 of the Constitution, Rule 4 (2) No. 1 of the Rules of Procedure) (for early dissolution, see also Art. 48 and 50 of the Constitution) Can MPs resign? Yes · Of their own free will (see Rule 4 (2) No. 2 of the Rules of Procedure). But see also Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure (see Definitive exclusion from Parliament by the latter). · Procedure (Rules 5 and 6 of the Rules of Procedure) · Authority competent to accept the resignation: the resignation need not be accepted. Can MPs lose their mandate ? Yes (a) No revocation before expiry of mandate by the electors (Art. 14 of the Constitution) (b) Definitive exclusion from Parliament by the latter (Rule 4 (2) No. 3 in connection with Rules 18 (2) and 11 of the Rules of Procedure) (c) Loss of mandate by judicial decision (Rule 4 (2) No. 3 in connection with Rule 18 (1) of the Rules of Procedure) (d) Death (Rule 4 (2) No. 4 of the Rules of Procedure) STATUS OF MEMBERS Rank in hierarchy · Within Parliament: 1. The Presidium (Chairman, two Deputy Chairmen, Secretary and Deputy Secretary) 2. The Chairmen of the Committees 3. The Leaders of the Saeima's factions 4. The other MPs · Outside Parliament: Indemnities, facilities and services · Diplomatic passport · Basic salary (Art. 33 of the Constitution, Rules 12 (1) and (3), and 13 (1) of the Rules of Procedure): LVL 372 (US§ 219.48) per month + sitting allowance (Rules 12 (2) and 180 of the Rules of Procedure): LVL 6 (US$ 3.54) per Committee sitting + LVL 65 (US$ 38.35) per month for the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of a Committee · No exemption from tax · No special pension scheme · Other facilities: (a) Assistants (Rules 187 and 195 to 200 of the Rules of Procedure): up to two assistants with basic salary not exceeding the amount necessary for the salary of one assistant (LVL 180 (US$ 106.20)) per month; staff of the factions (b) Official housing, official car, postal and telephone services, travel and transport (Rules 12 (2), 14, and 180 (1) of the Rules of Procedure): representation expenses of no more than LVL 219 (US$ 129.21) per month; subsistence allowance for business trips; free use of public transport in Latvia; reimbursement of other expenses (c) Others: - Transitional emoluments (Rule 13 (2) and (3) of the Rules of Procedure) Obligation to declare personal assets Yes Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability · The concept does exist (Art. 28 of the Constitution). · Parliamentary non-accountability applies to words spoken and written by MPs both within and outside Parliament. · Derogations: defamatory statements which MPs know to be false, or defamatory statements about private or family life (Art. 28 of the Constitution) · Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate. Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability · The concept does exist (Art. 29 and 30 of the Constitution). · It applies only to criminal and administrative proceedings, covers all offences and protects MPs from arrest and from being held in preventive custody, from the opening of judicial proceedings against them, from their homes being searched, and from administrative fines being levied. · Derogations: in cases of flagrante delicto, MPs may be arrested. Procedure (Art. 29 of the Constitution). · Parliamentary inviolability does not prevent MPs from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal but they have the right to refuse to give evidence under certain circumstances (Art. 31 of the Constitution). · Protection is provided from the start to the end of the mandate, including between early dissolution of the House and the election of a new Parliament, and (does not) also cover(s) judicial proceedings instituted against MPs before their election. · Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (Art. 29 and 30 of the Constitution): - Competent authority: the Saeima - Procedure (Rules 17 and 19 of the Rules of Procedure). In this case, MPs must be heard. They do not have means of appeal. · Parliament cannot subject the prosecution and/or detention to certain conditions. · Parliament cannot suspend the prosecution and/or detention of one of its members. · In the event of preventive custody or imprisonment, the MPs concerned cannot be authorised to attend sittings of Parliament (but see Procedure for cases of flagrante delicto). EXERCISE OF THE MANDATE Training · There is a training/initiation process on parliamentary practices and procedures for MPs. It consists of training seminars. · It is organised by the Saeima's Chancellery and conducted by more experienced MPs and staff. · There is no handbook of parliamentary procedure. Participation in the work of the Parliament · It is compulsory for MPs to be present at plenary sittings and committee meetings (Rule 7 of the Rules of Procedure). For leave of absence, see Rules 8 and 16 of the Rules of Procedure. · Penalties foreseen in case of failure to fulfil this obligation: (a) Plenary sittings: - Fine of 20 % of the standard monthly salary for each sitting missed without a valid excuse (Rule 15 (1) of the Rules of Procedure) - Penalty for absence with a non-valid excuse (Rule 15 (5) of the Rules of Procedure) - Loss of mandate (Rule 4 (2) No. 3 in connection with Rule 18 (2) No. 4 of the Rules of Procedure) (b) Committee meetings: - Loss of sitting allowance (Rule 161 of the Rules of Procedure) - Information of the MP's faction about the MP's absence at three successive meetings; in case of continuation, loss of Committee membership (Rule 165 in connection with Rules 33 (2) No. 3, (4), and 34 of the Rules of Procedure) · Body competent to judge such cases/to impose penalties: - Fine/penalty: the Presidium - Loss of mandate: the Saeima - Loss of sitting allowance/information of the MP's faction: the Committee Chairperson - Loss of Committee membership: the Saeima Discipline · The rules governing discipline within Parliament are contained in Rules 21 (1), 70, and 73 to 76 of the Rules of Procedure. · Disciplinary measures foreseen: - Interruption (Rule 73 of the Rules of Procedure) - Reprimand (Rule 74 of the Rules of Procedure) - Call to order (Rules 73 and 74 of the Rules of Procedure) - Prohibition to take the floor (Rule 74 of the Rules of Procedure) - Suspension from Parliament (Rules 74 and 75 of the Rules of Procedure) - Suspension of the sitting, adjournment of the House (Rule 76 of the Rules of Procedure) · Specific cases: - Offence or insult (Rule 74 of the Rules of Procedure): call to order, prohibition to take the floor, suspension from Parliament · Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties (Rule 21 (1) of the Rules of Procedure): - Interruption, reprimand, call to order, prohibition to take the floor, suspension of the sitting, adjournment of the House, offence or insult: the Chairman - Suspension from Parliament, offence or insult: the Saeima · Procedure (Rules 73 to 76 of the Rules of Procedure) Code (rules) of conduct · This concept does not exist in the country's juridical system but there are some relevant provisions (Art. 32 and 34 of the Constitution, Rule 10, and Rule 11 in connection with Rules 4 (2) No. 3 and 18 (2) No. 3 of the Rules of Procedure). For the declaration of assets, see Obligation to declare personal assets. · Penalties foreseen for violation of the rules of conduct: loss of mandate (Rule 11 in connection with Rules 4 (2) No. 3 and 18 (2) No. 3 of the Rules of Procedure; incompatibilities) · Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties: the Saeima · Procedure (Rules 4 (2) No. 3 and 18 (2) No. 3 of the Rules of Procedure). In this case, MPs have (no) means of recourse. Relations between MPs and pressure group · There are no legal provisions in this field.

This page was last updated on 18 January 2012
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