Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs wins election held under shadow of Ukraine war
Baltic countries have warned for months that Russia is mounting sabotage, cyber and other hybrid attacks across Europe to erode support for Ukraine.
Riga – Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' centrist United List party emerged victorious in Latvia's parliamentary election on Saturday, according to partial results, with a remarkable lead of 36.6% of the vote, surpassing the populist Latvia First party by a substantial margin of 13.4%. The United List capitalized on the prevailing atmosphere of uncertainty surrounding potential Russian aggression, as seen with warnings echoing across Europe.
As of the count, United List held a commanding 88% of the votes, while Latvia First was trailing significantly. Notably, the latter party had attempted to appeal to Latvia's sizable ethnic Russian population throughout the campaign. The Baltic nations have been raising alarms for months, cautioning that Russia is engaging in a series of covert operations such as sabotage and cyber attacks across Europe, primarily aimed at weakening support for Ukraine and generating fear.
Despite these concerns, Western authorities have not indicated a belief that Russia could launch a direct invasion of NATO member Latvia.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
