Latvia to hold first elections since controversial territorial reform

Riga, Latvia, Jun 4 (EFE).- More than 950,000 voters in Latvia will be called to the polls on Saturday in the first local elections since a parliamentary reform last year reduced the number of municipalities from 119 to 42.

Voting will take place in 41 of the 42 administrative districts, except in Riga, the capital, where there was a snap election last summer following a political scandal that brought down the ruling coalition.

The controversial regional administrative reform was sold as a way to consolidate local governments to make them more efficient, but also created brand new political entities.

“It’s a new challenge for all local politicians everywhere,” Juris Krievs, a local councilor from Iecava, told Efe.

Experts believe that these elections will not provide an accurate gauge of voters’ national mindsets, as the campaign issues on the ticket for Saturday are largely local, focusing on roads and infrastructure to kindergartens and schools.

The next general elections are scheduled for 2022. EFE

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