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Latvian parliament endorses tougher requirements for political parties running in elections

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Latvian parliament public administration and local government committee on Wednesday endorsed tougher requirements for political parties running in national and EU parliamentary elections, local media reported.

Under the draft legislation passed by the parliamentary committee in the first reading, only parties with at least 500 members and founded at least a year before a given election will be allowed to take part in national and European parliament elections, the Baltic News Service said.

There are no similar restrictions in Latvia's current laws, but the Law on Political Parties stipulates that a political party must have at least 200 members if it is to be registered in Latvia.

Latvia's three coalition partners, the center-right Unity, the centrist Greens and Farmers Union (ZZS) and the right-wing National Alliance, worked out the draft amendments, responding to President Andris Berzins' legislative initiative aimed at reducing political parties' dependence on their private sponsors, the parliamentary press service said. Endit