Limbaži Municipality Reports Calm but Busy Week of Saeima Elections
The Limbaži municipal election commission describes the 3 October election of Latvia's 15th Saeima as incident-free, though turnout was lower than in the previous parliamentary vote. Vote counting was delayed by re-voting that had to be checked in an online register.
The 15th Saeima, Latvia's parliament, was elected on 3 October, and in Limbaži municipality, in northern Vidzeme, the week of voting passed without incidents. For the first time, voters in every polling station could cast an advance vote throughout the preceding week. Andra Luste, chair of the municipal election commission, says that both the weekdays and election day itself were busy across the municipality's 19 polling stations, although turnout as a percentage was lower than in the previous Saeima election.
Queues and voter flow
Queues formed because scanning identity documents takes a long time. Advance voting was busiest at both Limbaži stations (the culture centre and the council building), at Jūras iela 58 on the town's outskirts, and in Salacgrīva and Aloja. On election day, Limbaži and Salacgrīva traditionally see the most voters. Since Saeima voters can use any polling station in Latvia, Liepupe and Skulte were busier too, as travellers on the Via Baltica road stop there. In Puikule, a hunting club arrived by bus to vote.
Security had been widely discussed before the vote, but no threats materialised. The State and municipal police and the Security Service oversaw order.
Re-voting and counting
Commissions fielded questions from voters looking for Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs on the local list. He ran in the Riga district, not Vidzeme, but United List advertisements with the word "Vidzeme" next to his image misled voters. Luste suggests this may have prompted some to change their advance vote. Many re-voted, which delayed counting, because the online voter register had to be checked for repeat ballots. Commissions waited several hours, and votes were counted by hand. Luste believes re-voting should be abolished and admits disappointment that the process nationally was not as smooth as promised after the problems in the 2025 municipal elections.
What next
The commission must finish its paperwork and await official results. If Dagnis Straubergs is elected to parliament, the municipal council's makeup will change: after his application, the next candidate from the United List will be invited to take his seat.
Voters' views
In Aloja, Staicele and Limbaži, moods varied: some voters voiced disappointment with politicians, while others were cautiously optimistic. Young people stressed the importance of voting, and first-time voter Estere Kalniņa in Staicele used the online "party sorter" to decide.
