Moderate voter attendance may be anticipated in the upcoming local elections in Latvia this week
In just over a month, on June 7, municipal elections will take place across 42 electoral districts in Latvia. A total of 948 polling stations will be operational, according to the Central Election Commission (CVK).
However, concerns about voter turnout persist. A survey conducted by the CVK indicates that approximately one-fifth of the population does not plan to follow or participate in the local elections. The main reasons for this, as suggested by the survey, include disbelief that voting changes anything, indifference to politics, and distrust of politicians.
Other reasons for not participating, as suggested by the same survey, may include less ideological factors such as the weather on election day. Interestingly, the proportion of respondents who are following the lists of candidates for the 2025 local government elections and are familiar with the lists of candidates of all parties in their municipality has increased from 12% in April to 18% by the end of May.
Researcher Iveta KazΕΎoka has expressed skepticism about the forecast of a low voter turnout, stating it would be atypical for Latvian local elections. However, she also notes that what we should hope for is that the election turnout will not be lower than 40%, but it is uncertain at the moment due to a lack of high-quality data.
Professor JaΜnis Ikstens, on the other hand, does not expect a significant increase in voter turnout this year. He attributes the low participation rates to disappointment in politics and politicians, with people not seeing or feeling that they can influence the course of events.
In contrast to four years ago, the local elections will not be held in Riga. The Prime Minister, four years ago, expressed concern about the low voter turnout and instructed the State Chancellery to come up with ways to increase turnout. However, in recent years, there has not been a strong effort to increase voter turnout.
Before last year's European elections, there were predictions that turnout could be around 65%, according to a Eurobarometer survey. However, the actual turnout was about half that figure. The researcher who expressed concerns about increased voter turnout in the municipal elections on June 7 and nevertheless did not expect the actual turnout to be particularly high has not been identified in the provided search results.
Early voting for the local elections is taking place from June 2 to 6. As we approach the election day, let's hope for a turnout that surpasses expectations and reflects the active participation of Latvian citizens in shaping their local communities.
