Raimonds Vējonis
Valsts prezidents: Jāturpina darbs pie vēlēšanu sistēmas attīstīšanas Latvijā
On Tuesday, 12 March 2019, President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis met with Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Mr Arnis Cimdars to discuss Latvia’s readiness for the European Parliament (EP) elections on 25 May this year.

After the meeting, the President of Latvia pointed out that the previous legislative amendments were appreciated so that voters had more opportunities to participate in the EP elections. To ensure this, the polling stations should be able to record online that the voter has come to vote in advance and will do so at another polling station so that at the place where the voter is registered, they can make sure that the citizen has not already voted.

“Unfortunately, there are current concerns about whether this system will work this year due to lack of financial resources. Latvia should continue developing the electoral system. Therefore, it is crucial to find the necessary financing for testing the system during the EP elections in the nearest future so that voters can vote in the next Saeima elections both using their passport and ID card without the necessity for a voter certificate,” stressed Raimonds Vējonis.

Also during the meeting, the CEC Chairperson informed the President of Latvia of the measures taken to ensure that the EP elections are conducted democratically, legally, and without any risk of external influence on the outcome of the elections.

“Like the other Member States of the European Union, Latvia is aware of the potential threats to the EP elections and is actively working to respond to them,” admitted the President of Latvia.