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Latvia

Monthly Updates

December 2022

Latvia’s new Parliament discarded a draft Civil Union law, which had been undertaken by the previous Saeima in order to comply with a ruling of the Constitutional Court. The draft law provides legal protections to families, including same-sex couples. The momentum behind the initiative was sustained by a petition signed by more than 23,000 citizens. The leader of the Progressive Party has pledged to continue working towards the adoption of the law. It has been possible for same-sex couples to register a civil union with the Administrative Court since May 2022. The previous Saeima had failed to approve the law by the June deadline set by the Constitutional Court, and the October elections have only seen the vote share of conservative parties who tout traditional family values, such as the National Alliance and Latvia First, grow. The fact that this issue has been dropped from the agenda makes the possibility of codifying legal protections for same-sex couples, such as property, tax and inheritance, more remote.

October 2022

The centre-right New Unity (JV) party of the incumbent Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš won 19 per cent of the vote in Latvia’s parliamentary elections on 1 October. Seven parties passed the five per cent threshold required to be represented in Parliament. The populist Stability party has replaced Harmony Social Democracy (SSD) as the largest Russophone party in Parliament. SSD had formerly been Latvia’s biggest opposition party but has lost support since publicly condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine. Overall voter turnout rose to 59 per cent - an increase of five percentage points compared to the 2018 elections. However, there was low turnout among the Latvian diaspora (only 16 per cent), partly as a result of recent amendments to election laws introducing additional requirements for opening election sites. For example, as a result of the new requirements, only nine sites were opened across the United Kingdom, where more than 130,000 Latvian citizens are registered to vote, compared to 19 during the 2018 elections. 

August 2022

Latvia extended the State of Emergency on the border with Belarus for the fourth time since it first came into effect one year ago with the announced intention of deterring illegal border crossings. The State of Emergency was criticized by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights for obstructing transparency and accountability for measures affecting migrants and refugees taken at the border and restricting the work of human rights organizations.

Explore past monthly updates

GSoD Indices Data 2012-2021

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
1 883 160
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (since 2019)
Head of government party
New Unity
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
30.0%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2022
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
10.34
Head of state
President Egils Levits
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
11/05/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
59.43%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Signatory
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
in
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Early Warning System BETA

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Low risk of democratic breakdown Low risk of democratic breakdown (BETA)
Low risk of democratic backsliding Low risk of democratic backsliding (BETA)

Attributes Over Time

Representative government neutral Representative Government
Sep 2022
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2023
Representative government neutral Fundamental rights
Sep 2022
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2023
Representative government neutral Checks on government
Sep 2022
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2023
Representative government neutral Impartial administration
Sep 2022
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2023
Representative government neutral Participatory engagement
Sep 2022
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2023

GSoD Indices

Regime type
0 10