1010 European Journal of Political Research 41: 1010 1014, 2002 Latvia JĀNIS IKSTENS Vidzeme University College, Latvia Institutional changes The Saeima amended the Law on the Constitutional Court to enable naturalized citizens to submit a petition to the Constitutional Court effective 1 January. However, there is a limitation that naturalized citizens can turn to the Constitutional Court only in those cases in which their basic rights as defined in the Latvian Constitution have been violated. This amendment was seen as giving residents of Latvia more power in relations to state institutions, in part substituting for the absence of an Ombudsman s Office, and it has already led to several Constitutional Court cases. Issues in national politics Municipal election campaigns dominated Latvian politics in the first half of 2001. The elections were held under a slightly modified system. Only registered political parties were allowed to put forth slates of candidates in municipalities with 5,000 or more inhabitants. This was intended to be a tool for party-building in a re-democratizing country, offering the major parties a means to increase their political influence in the largest urban settings. In addition, the modification created favourable conditions for conducting more centralized party election campaigns. However, the amendment did not fundamentally change the personality-based nature of campaigns characteristic of municipal elections in Latvia. Even the elections in the capital city of Rīga (where 40 per cent of Latvia s inhabitants reside) were not fought on clear issues or programmes. While the Farmers Union of Latvia (not currently represented in the Saeima) won the most seats, it cannot be considered a winner. Municipal elections in Latvia are largely a battle for Rīga, which is the political and economic centre of the country. Here the Social Democratic Workers Party of Latvia reaped the fruits of popular dissatisfaction with the microeconomic results of Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA
Table 1. Result of the Saeima election Date of election: 1998 Total votes cast: 964,667 (71.9 per cent) Valid votes cast: 955,581 (99.1 per cent) Number Percentage Percentage Number Percentage Percentage Party of votes of votes change of seats of seats change Tautas partija People s Party (TP) 203,585 21.19 21.19 24 24 24 Latvijas ceļš Latvia s Way (LC) 173,420 18.05-3.3 21 21 4 Tēvzemei un Brīvībai /LNNK For 140,773 14.65 2.71 17 17 3 Fatherland and Freedom /LNNK (TB/LNNK) Tautas saskaņas partija National 135,700 14.12 8.57 16 16 10 Harmony Party (TSP) Latvijas Sociāldemokrātiskā strādnieku 123,056 12.81 8.25 14 14 14 partija Latvian Social Democratic Worker s Party (LSDSP) Jaunā partija New Party (JP) 70,214 7.31 7.31 8 8 8 Latvijas Zemnieku savienība Farmers 23,732 2.47-3.86 0 0-8 Union of Latvia (LZS) Darba partijas, Kristīgi demokrātiskās 22,018 2.29 2.29 0 0 0 savienības un Latvijas Zaļās partijas apvienība Alliance of the Labour Party, Christian Democratic Union and Latvian Green Party (DP/KDS/LZP) Tautas kustība Latvijai Popular 16,647 1.73-13.17 0 0-16 Movement For Latvia (TKL) Demokrātiskā partija Saimnieks 15,410 1.6-13.55 0 0-18 Democratic Party Master (DPS) Others 31,026 3.22-17.66 0 0-21 latvia 1011
1012 jānis ikstens Table 2. Cabinet composition A. Party composition of Bērziņš I: Date of investiture: 5 May 2000 Number & percentage of Number & percentage of Party parliamentary seats cabinet posts TP 24 (24) 5 (33.3) LC 21 (21) 4 (26.7) TB/LNNK 16 (16) 4 (26.7) JP 3 (3) 2 (13.3) B. Cabinet Members of Bērziņš I: Prime Minister/Ministru Prezidents: Andris Bērziņš (1951 male, LC) Minister of Foreign Affairs/Ārlietu ministrs: Indulis Bērziņš (1957 male, LC) Minister of Interior/Iekšlietu ministrs: Mareks Segliņš (1970 male, TP) Minister of Defence/Aizsardzības ministrs:ģirts Valdis Kristovskis (1962 male, TB/LNNK) Minister of Finance/Finansu ministrs: Gundars Bērziņš (1959 male, TP) Minister of Economics/Ekonomikas ministrs: Aigars Kalvītis (1966 male, TP) Minister of Communication/Satiksmes ministrs: Anatolijs Gorbunovs (1942 male, LC) Minister of Environmental Protection & Regional Development/Vides aizsardzības un reǵionālās attīstības ministrs: Vladimirs Makarovs (1957 male, TB/LNNK) Minister of Agriculture/Zemkopības ministrs: Atis Slakteris (1956 male, TP) Minister of Justice/Tieslietu ministre: Ingrīda Labucka (1963 female, JP) Minister of Education & Science/Izglītības un zinātnes ministrs: Kārlis Greiškalns (1942 male, TP) Minister of Welfare/Labklājības ministrs: Andrejs Požarnovs (1962 male, TB/LNNK) Minister of Culture/Kultūras minister: Kārina Pētersone (1954 female, LC) Minister-at-large for Cooperation with International Financial Institutions/Īpašo uzdevumu ministrs sadarbībai ar starptautiskajām finansu institūcijām: Roberts Zīle (1958 male, TB/LNNK) Minister-at-large for Issues of State Reform/Īpašo uzdevumu ministrs valsts reformu lietās:jānis Krūmiņš (1955 male, JP) the right-wing governing coalition. It eventually formed a majority with the leftist alliance For Equal Rights in United Latvia and a few minor organizations, giving Rīga its first left-wing mayor since the restoration of the country s independence in 1991. The electoral success gave the Social Democrats additional confidence to proceed with the preparation of a new Constitution to be submitted to the Saeima and, if rejected, to a referendum. The new draft would fundamentally change the existing parliamentary system by introducing a popularly elected state president and a system of parallel voting in parliamentary elections. The
latvia 1013 Table 3. Changes in Parliament Helēna Soldatjonoka, who was elected as part of the Latvia s Way slate, changed allegiance and joined the parliamentary faction of the Latvian Social Democratic Worker s Party on 22 March 2001. draft includes a number of social rights, basic principles of economic, social and foreign policy, increased powers for the president, and a brand new chapter on municipalities. A majority of the political elite dismissed this initiative as inconsistent and contradictory, while a majority of the population tended to favour it, believing that a new constitution would rapidly improve their standard of living. The draft-in-preparation, the emphasis of the new mayor of Rīga on developing ties with Russia, and personal dislikes among its leaders de facto split the Social Democratic Workers Party of Latvia in late 2001. The approaching parliamentary elections gave impetus to the establishment of a number of new parties, of which Jaunais laiks ( New Era ) stands out as a potential winner of the 2002 elections. The party s programme seems to be designed around the principles of the neo-liberal Washington consensus that suffered a major blow in the 1995 Saeima elections. The party gained its legitimacy and notable popularity from the former President of the Bank of Latvia, Einārs Repše, who announced his plans to establish a new party in August 2001. What was unusual about the move was Repše s demand for an honorarium (unofficially, an amount of US$1 million was mentioned in the media) to be donated by the citizens of Latvia. While this prerequisite was later dropped, the relevant bank account was active by the end of 2001. One of the few issues Jaunais laiks was trying to capitalize on was corruption. It is widely perceived that part of the answer lies in reforming the system of party finance in Latvia. Problems in this realm were once again highlighted by the municipal election campaign that reinvigorated discussions about the introduction of direct state subsidies to political parties and increased transparency and accountability of parties. This produced lengthy debates in the parliament on a new bill regulating this sphere. While proposals for greater transparency seemed to gain support, major players were hesitant to introduce direct state subsidies a few months before the parliamentary elections, and the fate of the bill was not resolved by the end of 2001. The end of 2001 saw the termination of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission to Latvia. Despite the hesitant attitude of its European allies towards the termination, the United States is believed to have persuaded other key players in the region to support this
1014 jānis ikstens move in exchange for amendments in the election laws for the Saeima and municipalities, dropping the requirement of official language proficiency for candidates. This deal seemingly came as a surprise to many Latvian politicians who initially opposed it, but subsequently changed their position as the amendments were seen as a key to Latvia s invitation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in late 2002. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of citizens (approximately 75 per cent) opposed such changes. A decision on this matter will have to be taken by mid-2002. Sources and further information The Saeima: www.saeima.lv The Cabinet of Ministers: www.mk.gov.lv The President s Office: www.president.lv The Central Election Commission: www.cvk.lv