Latvia's
ruling coalition has won the country's general election, according to exit
polls. The center-right grouping was projected a resounding majority in a vote
overshadowed by fears about resurgent neighbor Russia.
Deutsche Welle, 4 Oct 2014
The
three-party governing coalition enjoyed a comfortable lead in at least two exit
polls after voting ended on Saturday, giving it a substantial majority in
Latvia's lower house, the Saeima.
A poll by
the news agency LETA gave 61.7 percent of the vote to the combined Unity party,
Nationalist Alliance and Union of Greens and Farmers. The figure would give the
alliance - led by Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma - a projected 63 seats in
the 100-seat parliament.
The
pro-Russian opposition Harmony party garnered 21.6 percent of the vote, which
it is expected would give them 23 seats.
Meanwhile,
two new parties managed to cross the 5 percent voting threshold needed to enter
parliament. The Alliance of Latvia's Regions took 6 percent of the vote, while
For Latvia from the Heart had 5.4 percent.
A separate
poll by the news agency BNS gave a slightly stronger showing for the
center-right coalition, on 63.1 percent, while Harmony won 19.4 percent. The
Alliance of Latvia's Regions and For Latvia from the Heart took 6.2 percent and
6.9 percent respectively.
Jitters
over Moscow
The poll
comes amid growing alarm among many Latvians in the face of Russian
interventions in Ukraine, particularly the annexation of Crimea in March.
Latvia, now an EU, eurozone and NATO member, was under Soviet rule until 1991.
Harmony
draws much of its support from Latvia's Russian minority, which makes up a
quarter of the country's 2 million inhabitants. It campaigns for Russian to
become Latvia's second official language and the party did not support a recent
parliamentary resolution that supported Ukraine against "Russian
aggression".
Straujuma
has called for more NATO troops and extra air patrols in the country, which
borders Russia, amid fears of a resurgent Russia. She warned ahead of the election
that a win for Harmony could threaten the independence of Latvia, which was
part of the Soviet Union until 1991.
Harmony
received the most votes of any individual party in a snap election in 2011, but
this was not enough to give it a majority. Having failed to find coalition
partners, it was relegated to the opposition in the 100-seat parliament.
rc/bw (AFP, Reuters)
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