Membership requirement upped for Latvian political parties' participation in elections

Only political parties counting at least 500 people as their members will be allowed to participate in Latvia's national parliamentary elections and European Parliament elections in the future, Latvian lawmakers decided on Thursday.

A group of experts working under the auspices of Latvia's then President Andris Berzins came up with the proposal to toughen the membership threshold for parties in November 2015. The initiative was intended to enhance Latvia's political system by reducing its fragmentation.

Incumbent Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis has also voiced support for the initiative.

There are currently seven political parties in Latvia with more than 500 members each: the leftist Harmony, center-right Unity, centrist Farmers Union, Latvia's Green Party, National Alliance, Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party and the business-oriented Honor to Serve Riga (GKR).

On Feb. 23, the parliament public administration and local governments committee passed the draft amendments to the election law in the third reading, with supporters of the initiative arguing that this will prevent people dependent on certain sponsors from advancing their political agenda.

Several smaller parties, however, are allowed to unite their forces in larger blocs for participation in elections.

The bill has triggered a fierce debate among law experts and politicians. Constitutional law expert Egils Levits, for instance, slammed the amendments as undemocratic and political scientist Janis Ikstens warned that the membership requirement might lead to the forming of "party cartels," which would "cement" the rule of the current coalition. Endit