Latvia's United List wins record 42 seats in parliamentary election

Oct 3, 2026

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' centrist, pro-Ukraine United List party secured a historic victory in the October 3, 2026 parliamentary election, winning an unprecedented 42 seats in the 100-member parliament. The election, held under the shadow of the Ukraine war and warnings of Russian hybrid warfare, solidified Kulbergs' mandate. However, he must still secure coalition partners to govern, having explicitly ruled out partnering with the runner-up populist party, Latvia First.

Election results for the United List

▪Latvia's United List party was projected to win a record 42 seats in the 100-member parliament, representing the best single-party result since Latvia regained independence in 1991
▪The centrist, pro-Ukraine United List party, led by Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, won the parliamentary election held on October 3, 2026
▪With 88% of the ballots counted in Latvia's October 3, 2026 parliamentary election, the United List party secured 36.6% of the vote, while the populist Latvia First party followed in second place with 13.4%

Coalition building prospects

▪Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs stated on October 3, 2026, that he hopes to remain prime minister but will refuse to govern in a coalition with the Latvia First party
▪Partial election results indicate that Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs will require coalition allies to form a majority government

Campaigns of pro-Russian and populist parties

▪The populist Latvia First party and the pro-Russian Sovereign Power party, which won 10.5% in exit polls, actively courted Latvia's substantial ethnic Russian minority
▪Pro-Kremlin political rivals in Latvia argued during the campaign for Latvia's October 3, 2026 parliamentary election that the country should halt all military and financial aid to Ukraine to focus on domestic cost-of-living issues
▪Sovereign Power party leader Julia Stepanenko stated that her voters want peace, an end to air alerts, and a cessation of funding for the war in Ukraine

Andris Kulbergs' defense policy and background

▪Andris Kulbergs originally became Prime Minister of Latvia in May 2026 after a previous coalition collapsed over undetected stray Ukrainian military drones entering Latvian airspace
▪Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs campaigned on a promise to expand Latvia's anti-drone capabilities and maintain national defense spending at 5% of gross domestic product

Accusations of Russian hybrid warfare

▪Baltic nations have warned that Russia is executing sabotage, cyber, and hybrid attacks across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine and generate fear
▪The Russian government has dismissed accusations by Baltic countries of mounting hybrid attacks in Europe, characterizing them as baseless anti-Russian hysteria