At stake in this election:

• 100 seats in the Parliament (Saeima)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Andris BERZINS
• Assembly: Latvia has a unicameral Parliament (Saeima) with 100 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by parliament to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Parliament (Saeima) 100 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: New Era (JL)
  • Leader: Einars REPSE
  • Seats won in this election: 26
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: For Human Rights in a United Latvia (PCTVL)
  • Leader: Janis JURKANS, Tatiana ZHDANOK, and Alfreds RUBIKS
  • Seats won in this election: 24
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: People's Party (TP)
  • Leader: Andris SKELE
  • Seats won in this election: 21
  • Seats won in last election: 24
• Party: Green and Farmers Union (ZZS)
  • Leader: Vilis KRISTOPANS and Ingrida UDRE
  • Seats won in this election: 12
  • Seats won in last election: 16
• Party: Latvia First Party (LPP)
  • Leader: Eriks JEKABSONS
  • Seats won in this election: 10
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Alliance Fatherland and Freedom (TB-LNNK)
  • Leader: Maris GRIBLATS
  • Seats won in this election: 7
  • Seats won in last election: 15
• Party: Other
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Elections for the Saeima were last held on October 3, 1998.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,310,173 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 1,395,287 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,248,647 (2002)

·         Is Latvia a signatory to CEDAW: N/A

·         Has Latvia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (14 April 1992)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 21 (following the 2002 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 46 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Latvia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (18 July 2008)

·         Has Latvia ratified CRPD: Yes (1 March 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 346,525 (est.)