At least ten candidates in Latvia's election have previously run for PM

As Latvia heads toward the 15th Saeima elections, several familiar political faces appear among this year's candidates. At least ten people are running again after having been nominated for prime minister or having led their party's list in one of the previous three parliamentary elections, according to news agency LETA.

Former prime ministerial candidates

National Alliance candidate Uģis Mitrevics was his party's prime ministerial nominee in the 2022 election; this time he holds third place on the party's Vidzeme list. Latvia First leader Ainārs Šlesers also sought the premiership in 2022, and in 2014 topped the Riga list for the party "United for Latvia."

Arigo Toro, leader of the "Gobzems List" and formerly known as Aldis Gobzems, was his party's prime ministerial candidate in both 2018 and 2022, running with "KPV LV" and later "Katram un katrai." In 2018, then-President Raimonds Vējonis even entrusted him with forming a new government, an effort that ultimately failed.

Kaspars Briškens, a former transport minister from the Progressives, was that party's prime ministerial nominee in 2022 and is now fourth on its Riga list. Sandis Ģirģens unsuccessfully sought the premiership in 2022 with the "Republic" party and is now running with the Greens and Farmers Union.

Other returning politicians

Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns was the 2018 prime ministerial candidate for the Latvian Regions Alliance and now leads the United List's Vidzeme ticket. Aleksejs Rosļikovs, who fled to Belarus, was "For Stability!"'s 2022 prime ministerial candidate and is now second on its Riga list.

Finance Minister Māris Kučinskis, already serving as prime minister at the time, was the Greens and Farmers Union's leadership candidate in 2018; he now runs ninth on the United List's Kurzeme ticket. Juris Pūce, now topping "Development/For"'s Vidzeme list, was that party's prime ministerial candidate in the 12th Saeima election.

Also mentioned are Andris Skride, Maija Radziņa, Andžejs Zdanovičs and Jūlija Stepaņenko, all of whom previously topped their then-parties' lists or ran for prime minister. The 15th Saeima elections take place on Saturday.