Latvian Prime Minister Kulbergs wins parliamentary election as United List takes 41 seats

Election outcome and parliamentary seats

The centrist United List alliance led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs finished first in the parliamentary election, securing 35.3% of the vote. Following the completion of the count across all 1,059 polling stations, the Central Election Commission reported that United List took 41 seats in the 100-seat Saeima, marking an increase of 24.2 percentage points compared to the 2022 election. The result represents the largest seat share won by a single political party in Latvian parliamentary elections since the early 1990s. Voter turnout reached 51.8%, falling from 59.4% in 2022 and setting the lowest participation level in 35 years. The Union of Greens and Farmers failed to clear the 5% electoral threshold, losing parliamentary representation for the first time in 24 years.

Coalition arithmetic and party positions

Two populist parties finished behind the governing alliance. Latvia First, led by Ainars Šlesers, placed second with 13.1% of the vote and 17 seats, maintaining support for NATO and Ukrainian membership in the European Union. Sovereign Power, led by Julia Stepanenko, placed third with 11.7% and 15 seats after campaigning to end military aid to Ukraine and seek a diplomatic settlement with Russia. Kulbergs excluded cooperation with Sovereign Power before the vote, describing the formation as a threat to security and democracy. The prime minister is positioned to open coalition talks with the conservative National Alliance, which won 8.9% and 10 seats, and the center-right New Unity party of former prime minister Evika Siliņa, which fell to 6.3% and seven seats. Together, those three parties would control 58 seats in the 100-seat chamber. The social-democratic Progressives gained between 7.4% and 7.9% of the vote, securing 9 to 10 seats.

Security policy and the road to the vote

Kulbergs took office at the end of May 2026 after the collapse of Siliņa's government. That administration fell when Ukrainian drones entered Latvian airspace and hit a fuel storage depot after air defenses failed to intercept them, prompting Riga to accuse Moscow of redirecting the aircraft. During the campaign, Kulbergs, a 47-year-old amateur rally driver, pledged to maintain defense spending at 5% of gross domestic product, strengthen air defenses against drones, and reduce state spending and bureaucracy. Economic pressures, including high inflation, rising inequality, and difficulties at national carrier airBaltic, formed central issues alongside national security in a country where the Russian-speaking minority comprises nearly 30% of the population.

International reactions and eastern flank defense

Following the announcement of the preliminary results, foreign leaders sent messages of support to Riga. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the election result on social media.

Congratulations to Andris Kulbergs on his clear victory in the Latvian elections. This is an important result that confirms the Latvian people's determination to defend their freedom, their security, and their place in Europe and the West.

Kulbergs responded on social media to congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by emphasizing regional security commitments across eastern Europe.

It is important that we have strong governments along the eastern flank of NATO and the EU, especially in countries bordering the aggressor in the east.

The prime minister stated that the election outcome provides a mandate to conduct broad economic changes while reinforcing defense structures along NATO's border.