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Poll shows mixed voter support for Latvia's ruling parties

Xinhua, December 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

The three parties of Latvia's center-right government coalition showed mixed voter support in November 2016, it was reported Thursday.

The ratings of the center-right Unity and the centrist Greens and Farmers Union edged up, while the popularity of the National Alliance declined, LTV public television reported, citing a survey by pollster SKDS.

Although slowly, Unity's rating continued to rise for the third consecutive month, adding 0.3 percent points over the month to 6.5 percent, and voter support for the coalition leader Greens and Farmers Union rose 0.8 percentage points to from October to 16.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the right-wing National Alliance saw its rating drop 0.3 percentage points to 8.4 percent.

The opposition leftist Harmony party solidified its position as Latvia's most popular political party as its rating climbed 1.8 percentage points to 18.8 percent.

Voter support for two other opposition parties in Latvia's current parliament, the Latvian Bloc of Regions (LRA) and For Latvia from the Heart (NSL), slightly increased in November, but still remained below the 5 percent mark that has to be exceeded to win seats in parliament.

KPL LV, a political party that has been relatively recently founded by independent MP Artuss Kaimins, would have received 5.3 percent of the vote if elections were held in November, the poll reveals.

At the same time, one in three respondents in the poll said they were either undecided about their political preferences or would not participate in elections.

Commenting on the public opinion poll, political scientist Janis Ikstens described the situation with party ratings as a "standstill," pointing out that they had changed very little over the recent months. Endit