RIGA, September 18 (Itar-Tass) —— According to Latvia’s Central Elections Commission /CEC/, which has processed information form 560 election stations out of 1,027, the organisation and party Centre of Agreement, which is protecting the Russian-speaking population of Latvia, is leading in the early parliamentary elections in the republic. The organisation’s head is Riga’s Mayor Nil Ushakov.
Latvia’s early parliamentary elections took place on Saturday. The previous legislature worked for less than a year and was dissolved in a national referendum, which had been initiated by former president Valdis Zatlers.13 political parties and unions, who represented 1,092 candidates, competed for 100 seats. The republic had 950 election stations, and 39 election stations were organised outside the country.
The population of Latvia is about 2.2 million, where almost 1.6 million have a right to vote. About 345,000 could not participate in the voting. They are Russian-speaking ‘non-citizens’, who were deprived of citizenship and the right to vote following Latvia’s separation from the USSR.