Latvia's Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and his wife Anna react after first exit poll results of the general election was announced during his Apvienotais Saraksts (United List) party’s election night in Riga on October 3, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ center-right party emerged as the victor on Oct. 4 from Latvia’s parliamentary election, and he will now set about forming a coalition to maintain his pro-European and pro-Ukrainian course.
Populist parties, boosted by support from Latvia’s Russian-speaking minority, also had a good night after an election campaign dominated by fears over neighboring Russia, the cost of living and other social issues.
Kulbergs’ United List party won 42 seats in the 100-seat parliament, an unprecedented result in the former Soviet republic’s post-independence history.
After exit polls hinted at the magnitude of his party’s victory, Kulbergs said it was a wider margin than he had expected.
“That means people truly want change,” he said, which he said meant “economic growth” and a future for the country’s children.
Kulbergs, a former manager in the telecoms and automotive sectors, took over as prime minister in May at the head of a center-right coalition.
He will be forced to change partners after the election, as one of his members failed to clear the 5-percent hurdle to get into parliament.
The right-wing Sovereign Power party, which has opposed military aid to Ukraine and further increases to defense spending, looked set for a third-place finish, with 15 MPs, after focusing on cost of living issues.
Latvia First, a conservative party run by a property magnate often compared to U.S. President Donald Trump, came second in the poll and took 17 seats.
