Latvia’s parliamentary elections professionally administered, revisions to candidate and party registration recommended, says OSCE/ODIHR final report
Latvia’s 6 October 2018 parliamentary elections were administered in a professional and efficient manner with a high level of confidence among stakeholders, concludes the final report issued by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 17 January 2019. The report commends efforts to facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process.
All political parties were able to campaign freely with the freedoms of speech, movement and association respected, the report says. While the campaign was competitive, some restrictions on candidate and party registration challenged international standards for democratic elections, including those affecting potential candidates with prior convictions or with certain prior political affiliations and occupations. Although the campaign finance law is comprehensive, certain provisions could be further refined, the report notes.
Women represented around 32 per cent of candidates, of whom 31 were elected to the 100-seat parliament. Building on the recent good practice of some political parties, the report recommends introducing special measures to further promote women candidates.
The campaign in the media was vibrant, with freedom of expression respected, and the media generally ensured balanced coverage. However, the continued criminalization of defamation is at odds with international standards. In addition, the report recommends that regulations on disclosure of media ownership be revised to ensure full transparency in a publicly accessible format.
As noted in previous ODIHR reports, issues pertaining to language and identity generated divisive political discourse. Despite progress in integration, a significant number of people belonging to national minorities, who are permanent residents of Latvia without citizenship in any country, cannot participate in elections. In order to promote inclusive political participation, the report recommends that the authorities explore additional ways to increase the naturalization rate of adult non-citizens.