A statement by the Strasbourg-based court said "The European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been: no violation of Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 (right to free elections) to the European Convention on Human Rights."
The case concerned the barring of Ždanoka, a now-former MEP, from the candidate list for the 2018 parliamentary elections in Latvia, owing to her active membership of the Communist Party of Latvia. She had tried to stand as a candidate for the Latvian Union of Russians LKS) party.
Judgment Ždanoka v. Latvia (no. 2) - Membership of the Soviet Communist Party legitmate grounds to stop MEP standing for Latvia
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"The Court found in particular that restricting from standing for election individuals who had endangered and continued to endanger the independence of the Latvian State and the principles of a democratic State governed by the rule of law was legitimate and proportionate. The authorities had therefore acted within their discretion (“margin of appreciation”) in doing so in Ms Ždanoka’s case," said the court.
While Latvia, in common with other countries that were subjected to Soviet occupation, has a ban on former members and supporters of the occupation regime standing for political office, there are no equivalent restrictions for election to the European Parliament, allowing Ždanoka to operate as a pro-Russian voice in Brussels as an MEP from 2004-24.
It means a bad week for the notoriously pro-Putin politician has got even worse. As previously reported by LSM, a few days ago she was the subject of a raid by the State Security Service (VDD) which turned up various items of note at her properties. Investigations continue into files that were also seized.
The full ECHR judgment is attached to this story.
