Party ratings suggest half the electorate remains disengaged from politics

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Oppposition parties continue to hold the affections of voters more strongly than those in government according to the latest political polling by the SKDS pollster for Latvian Television. Respondents were asked for whom they would vote if parliamentary elections took place tomorrow.

The Harmony party retains its leading position with 11.3% support, followed by another opposition party, the Greens and Farmers Union, on 8%.

Then come four of the five coalition parties: the National Alliance (5.8%), New Conservative Party (5.3%), Development/For! (4.8%) and New Unity (4.1%). 

Enjoying a smaller share of the vote are the Progressives (3.9%), Latvian Regional Alliance (3%) and Latvian Russian Union (2.1%) while the sole remaining coalition party, KPV LV retains just a trace element of the support it enjoyed at the last parliamentary elections with a miniscule 1.9% rating.

The polling was carried out in December in the midst of a moderate scandal involving a Development/For! minister and consequently that political grouping saw a notable dip in support compared to November, as did most coalition parties with the exception of the New Conservative Party which grew from 4.9% to 5.3% (and KPV which dragged itself from 1.1% to 1.9%). Other minor parties account for 1% of voting intentions.

Nevertheless the National Alliance will take some consolation from the suggestion that they are now the most popular of the coalition parties.

However, apathy and indifference in the face of the political offerings available continues to make the polling figures themselves of only secondary importance. From November to December nothing seemed to have changed in this regard with 22% of respondents saying they had no intention of voting at all and 26.6% saying they could not choose one party over the others. By that reckoning, nearly half the electorate has no political preference.   

The poll involved 900 responses from across the country of voting-age citizens. November's figures are reproduced below for purposes of comparison.

 

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