1928 Latvian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 and 7 October 1928.[1] The Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party remained the largest party, winning 25 of the 100 seats.[2]

Electoral system

For the elections the country was divided into five constituencies, electing a total of 100 MPs using proportional representation (an increase from 97), with the three seats that had previously been awarded to the parties with the highest vote totals that had failed to win a seat in any of the five constituencies were scrapped.[3]

The list system used was made flexible, as voters were able to cross out candidates' names and replace them with names from other lists,[3] a system 32% of voters took advantage of.[3] Whilst previously parties needed only collect 100 signatures to register for an election,[4] the system was changed for this election, with a deposit of 1,000 lats introduced, which was only refunded if parties won a seat.[3] Combined with the scrapping of the three compensatory seats, this had the effect of reducing the number of registering parties, which fell from 141 to 120.[4] Of the 120, only 66 contested the election.[4]

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party	226,340	24.3	25	–7
Latvian Farmers' Union	139,173	15.0	16	0
Latgalian Christian Peasant and Catholic Party	57,336	6.2	6	+1
Left Trade Unions	52,136	5.6	5	New
Committee of the German Baltic Parties	43,352	4.7	6	+2
New Farmers-Small Landowners Party	37,435	4.0	4	+1
Latgalian Progressive Party	29,449	3.2	3	+1
Latgalian Farmer-Labour Party	25,902	2.8	3	+1
Christian National Union	25,254	2.7	4	+2
Independent Socialists	22,570	2.4	2	New
National Union	20,978	2.3	2	–1
United List of Old Believers	18,150	2.0	2	0
Democratic Centre	17,604	1.9	3	–2
Party of the Orthodox	17,006	1.8	2	0
Polish-Catholic Latvian Union of Poles	16,197	1.7	2	0
Mizrachi	15,145	1.6	2	+1
Party for Peace and Order	14,736	1.6	1	–1
Russian Public Workers' Association	14,592	1.6	2	+1
Party of Former Money Depositors	14,096	1.5	1	New
Latvian Work Union	12,820	1.4	1	+1
Union of Social Democrats – Mensheviks and Rural Workers	11,774	1.3	2	–2
Agudas Israel	9,827	1.1	1	–1
New Farmers' Union	7,545	0.8	0	–3
Zionist Party	7,529	0.8	1	0
National People's Association	7,213	0.8	0	New
Women's Union	6,443	0.7	0	0
Latgalian Social Democrats	6,327	0.7	1	New
Latgalian Latvian Union	5,853	0.6	1	New
Economic Centre, Dischargees, Traders and Industrialists' List	5,656	0.6	0	New
Bund	5,302	0.6	1	0
Radical Democrats	5,247	0.6	0	New
Economic Association	5,179	0.6	0	New
Union of Christian and Working People	4,484	0.5	1	+1
United Farmers	4,346	0.5	0	New
Association of Russian Farmers	3,976	0.4	0	New
Jewish Democratic Bloc	2,496	0.3	0	New
List of Lithuanians and Catholics	2,268	0.2	0	New
Latgalian Russian Small and Landless Farmers' List	2,068	0.2	0	New
Independent Farmers of Latgale and Workers' List	1,922	0.2	0	New
Orthodox and Public Workers' List	1,535	0.2	0	New
People's Work Party List	1,232	0.1	0	New
People's Rights and Health Defenders List	723	0.1	0	New
Jewish Economic Bloc	667	0.1	0	New
Invalid/blank votes	7,324	–	–	–
Total	937,207	100	100	0
Registered voters/turnout	1,182,426	79.3	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1122 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1143
3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1113
4. Nohlen & Stöver, p1105