On Saturday, 3 October 2026, voters in Latvia went to the polls to elect 100 members of the Saeima for a four-year term. The vote is taking place amid growing fears of possible hybrid actions by Russia and drone incidents linked to the war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, who leads the centrist United List bloc, is leading in the polls with around 14% votes. His party is likely to retain power, although deep political fragmentation will complicate the formation of a coalition.
Second place in the polls is held by the openly pro-Russian party Sovereign Power with around 9%. Most other parties have already ruled out the possibility of a coalition with it.
Kulbergs, a 47-year-old businessman and motorsport enthusiast, came to power in May after the previous coalition collapsed over criticism of its response to incidents of military drones entering Latvia's airspace.
Across the Baltics, including Latvia — a NATO and EU member — many voters are alarmed by official warnings of potential Russian aggression and a growing number of airspace violations linked to the war in Ukraine.
Russia rejects accusations that it is planning attacks on NATO, and Western officials believe Moscow is not capable of a direct attack. Nevertheless, security issues dominated the election campaign.
Polls show that several more parties could enter parliament, including the populist Latvia First and the left-wing Progressives. Coalition talks promise to be difficult.
Latvia's State Security Service has not identified significant systematic attempts by Russia to influence the outcome of the election, but warns of possible disinformation campaigns. NATO has strengthened the protection of Latvia's airspace for the duration of the vote.
How will these fears affect the final results and the country's future policy?
Voting began at 8 in the morning and will end at 20:00, with the first results expected within a few hours and the final ones after midnight. Around 1,56 million people out of a population of more than 1,8 million are eligible to vote.
