Armed men attempted to push a group of at least 20 migrants to cross the border from Belarus into Latvia illegally on 5 October 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. NBS soldiers prevented the attempt, which it said was particularly demonstrative and aggressive. During the incident, the masked armed men…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has asked Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List alliance to form a new government, LSM reports. Rinkevics hoped that the new government could be formed by 18 November 2026, LETA reported. He said that United List had obtained a “very impressive mandate” in the parliamentary elections on 3 October…
Altogether six political groups managed to win seats in Latvia’s 100-member parliament in elections that concluded on 3 October 2026, LSM reports. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s centre-right United List won an overwhelming victory, more than tripling its number of MPs from 13 to 41. The far-right populist opposition party, Latvia First (LPV), doubled its seat…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, may cut 500-700 jobs at its bases in the three Baltic capitals, BNS reports. The company announced that it was in talks with trade unions on potential layoffs, which could affect about 20% of its total workforce. Currently, the airline employs around 3,000 people in the Baltic States. Meanwhile, Dace…
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s centre-right party alliance, United List, secured a landslide victory in the country’s latest parliamentary elections held on 3 October 2026 with over 35% of the vote, LSM reported. The party’s overwhelming win was a big surprise in light of polls ahead of the elections. Kulbergs is an outspoken businessman who…
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and his United List alliance may win the country’s parliamentary elections by a landslide, according to pollster SKDS’s exit poll, LSM reports. The poll shows that United List may win 35.6% of the votes, far ahead of all other parties. The far-right populist Latvia First would be second with 11.3%,…
More than 11% of Latvia’s electorate voted early in the country’s parliamentary elections, which was up sharply from just over 4% in the previous elections in 2022, according to data from the Central Election Commission (CVK), LSM reported. The official election day is 3 October 2026. Early voter turnout was highest in the Vidzeme region…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has expanded an existing ban on the import of food from Russia and Belarus, LSM reports. The parliament passed in final reading urgent amendments that will ban the import of not just agricultural goods and animal feed but also food products of Russian and Belarusian origin. The ban will apply…
The share of new businesses registered in proportion to the number of active enterprises in Lithuania was the highest in the entire EU in 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Lithuania’s so-called enterprise birth rate stood at 17.5% in 2024, compared to 13.9% in Latvia and 12.1% in Estonia. The EU average was 10.4%….
