The representatives of five political forces did so on Thursday, hoping to secure some early electoral coverage or in some cases simply to remind voters of their existence.
The parties that submitted candidate lists Thursdy were 'For Latvia's Development', 'For Stability!', the 'Progressives', the 'New Conservative Party', and the 'National Alliance'.
Parties have until February 9 to file their party lists ahead of European Parliament elections in June.
A total of 15 parties have expressed a desire to participate in the EP elections, though it remains to be seen how many of them follow through with the necessry deposit and paperwork.
The process of submitting the list took about half an hour - CVK secretary Ritvars Eglājs made sure that the parties paid a security deposit of 8,000 euros and that the party's pre-election program and information about the candidates were submitted correctly. However, the fact that he was wearing a large medical facemask throughout the process added a slightly unusual edge to proceedings.
In the forthcoming elections, Latvia has one constituency from which nine members of the European Parliament will be elected.
Turnout in the previous European Parliament elections of 2019 was a lackluster 33.51% and all parties are expressing hopes that voters can be persuaded to participate in greater numbers this time around.
Citizens of Latvia, as well as citizens of other European Union member states who have reached the age of 18 on election day, have the right to participate in the European Parliament elections.
In order to use the right to vote in Latvia, citizens of other European Union member states must be included in the Population Register of Latvia and must register for voting at the Central Election Commission no later than 30 days before the elections.
Voters will be able to vote at any polling station in Latvia or abroad without prior application.
Those entitled to vote, whose registered place of residence is abroad, are included in the general list of voters abroad. In order to participate in the elections and use the right to vote, these citizens must make a decision about the type of voting they intend to use before the elections and apply either to vote by mail, or at one of the polling stations abroad, or at a polling station in Latvia. They can apply to vote by mail no later than 30 days before the election.
Citizens of Latvia, whose home country is another member state of the European Union, may choose to vote for the candidates of that member state in elections by registering for elections in the respective member state.
For more information about the European Parliament elections, see the CVK's website: https://www.cvk.lv/lv/eiropas-parlamenta-velesanas.
However, please be aware that at the time of writing, the English-language information on the CVK website appears to be in need of an update. While the Latvian version confirms that 9 MEPs will be elected in elections on June 8, the English languge version still says 8 MEPs will be elected on May 25, which is not, in fact, the case.
