Latvia’s new parliament, the Saeima, held its inaugural session on 3 November 2026, swearing in all 100 MPs elected, LSM reported. MPs elected Edvards Smiltens of the United List as speaker of the parliament with 79 votes for and 15 against, LSM reported. He succeeded Daiga Mierina of the Union of Greens and Farmers, which failed to win any seats in parliament. In her final address to the outgoing parliament, Mierina called on lawmakers to maintain respect for the parliament and democratic values, stressing that the country was always greater than any political party, LETA reported. Meanwhile, in his opening speech to the new parliament, President Edgars Rinkevics urged MPs to cooperate and explain their decisions to the public, LSM reported. He noted that United List had won a very large mandate. At the same time, he expressed concern about the low voter turnout in the latest parliamentary elections.
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