Stricter pre-election agitation ban in force on Friday and Saturday
On October 2–3, distributing pre-election campaign materials in public spaces, press and broadcast media is banned, the anti-corruption bureau KNAB says. Violations can also be reported anonymously.
Latvia's Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has reminded the public that a stricter ban on pre-election campaign agitation applies on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3. During these two days, campaign materials may not appear in press publications, in public spaces, or in broadcast media, while online and on social networks, paid political advertising is prohibited.
Who is affected
The restriction applies both to candidates and other campaigners and to unrelated individuals. It is forbidden to distribute materials in public areas, to campaign through state or municipal institutions' social media accounts, or to hand out items branded with a political organization's symbols to potential voters.
What remains allowed
An exception applies to free content online — people may still express political views and share free posts on social media during these days. However, paying to promote such posts is banned, as is paid distribution of videos and other campaign materials whose visual content was created using artificial intelligence tools.
Campaign materials can take many forms — posters, leaflets, videos, interviews, or social media posts. Anyone who spots a violation should report it to KNAB, including anonymously via the "Ziņo KNAB!" app, the trust hotline 80002070, or the email pasts@knab.gov.lv.
Oversight and penalties
The campaign agitation period ahead of the 15th Saeima elections began on June 6 and runs through election day, October 3. Besides KNAB, oversight is also carried out by the National Electronic Mass Media Council and the State Language Center. Violations of the law carry administrative liability — a warning or a fine of up to 500 euros for individuals, and a fine of up to 7,100 euros for legal entities, including political organizations.
