"United List" set to receive maximum allowed state funding after election win

The "United List" (Apvienotais saraksts, AS) party alliance, which won Latvia's 15th Saeima elections, will be eligible over the next four years to receive the highest amount of state budget funding that law allows any single political organization, according to findings by the LETA news agency.

How the funding is calculated

Under Latvia's Law on Financing of Political Organizations (Parties), any party that won support from more than 2% of voters in the most recent Saeima election receives state funding tied to the minimum monthly wage for each vote received. Parties that crossed the 5% threshold additionally receive a fixed lump sum likewise linked to the minimum wage. However, the law caps the total amount any single party may receive within one calendar year.

AS set to hit the ceiling

AS secured support from more than 282,000 voters in the election. Based on the formula, this would translate into a sum exceeding the legal cap, meaning the actual payout due in 2027 will be limited to the maximum amount set by law.

Other qualifying parties

Other parties that cleared the 5% threshold — "Latvia First," "Sovereign Power/Union of Latvians," the National Alliance, "The Progressives," and "New Unity" — will also receive funding, though in smaller amounts. At least three more parties cleared only the 2% threshold — the Union of Greens and Farmers, "We Change the Rules," and "For the Development of Latvia" — qualifying them for smaller but still guaranteed support. The party "For Stability!" is sitting right at the 2% line, so it remains unclear whether it will qualify for any funding at all.

Payment schedule

State budget funding is awarded to parties for a four-year period, with disbursements beginning the calendar year following the election. Payments are made twice a year, by January 15 and by July 15.