With full results of the 12th Saeima elections still to be confirmed but a clearer picture starting to emerge of Latvia's future political landscape, LSM talked to two of the country' leading political scientists.
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Latvia's leading politicians cast their votes Saturday morning with attention focusing on incumbent Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma of the Unity party and Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs of the Harmony Party.
Much media coverage, particularly among foreign press, has centered on the role of Latvia's Russian minority in parliamentary elections taking place on October 4.
International newspapers and agencies have asked if the eastern Latgale region, which borders Russia, is a breeding ground for pro-Kremlin radicals that could even see the arrival of "little green men" welcomed by locals.
Rather than rely on hearsay and assumption, LSM took to the road to see at least some of Latgale for itself.
The third and final part of our series outlining everything you always wanted to know about Latvia's political parties (but were afraid to ask) takes us through the last three groupings on the October 4 ballot papers.
LSM's look at the parties vying for seats in the forthcoming Saeima elections continues with the next four parties on the election list.
Latvia goes to the polls on October 4 to elect 100 representatives to the parliament or Saeima for a four-year term. There are a total of 1,156 candidates from 13 different parties fighting for seats.
Some are familiar, some new - and some are a bit of both. Here's LSM English's not entirely reverential overview of what to expect from each of them.
Latvia may have a population of just 2 million, but its electoral system is every bit as rigorous and complex as those in other countries with hundreds of polling stations opening across the globe. Here's how the whole thing works.
Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) gave a positive view Friday of Latvia and Lithuania's chances of joining the "rich countries' club" in the near future.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said Monday that the country reserved the right to ask NATO for more reinforcements if the threat posed by Russia grows.
In a sensational announcement Friday Estonia's internal security service, KAPO, said that one of its agents had been abducted from Estonian soil close to the Latvian border and taken across the border into Russia.
The presidents of the three Baltic states praised the United States' commitment to the region Wednesday as US President Barack Obama delivered a powerful address in defense of democratic principles and tolerance.
United States President Barack Obama announced a reinforcement of the Baltic states' air defence capabilities Wednesday during his high-level visit to Tallinn, Estonia.
A final agreement by the three Baltic states to move forward with long-discussed plans for a high-speed rail link through the region will be signed in October, the countries' three prime ministers insisted in Riga on Saturday.
In a rare English language interview, Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma tells LSM about the importance of the Baltic Way and the difference between her feelings then and now.
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov warned Friday that any arrival of fresh NATO forces in the region could trigger a "new arms race" between Russia and the West.
Politicians, academics, journalists and - more importantly - former participants gathered at the University of Latvia Thursday for a conference dedicated to the historic events of the Baltic Way.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered staunch backing for Latvia's external security Monday, insisting that NATO's Article 5 commitment to defend all its member states equally is more than mere words.
A society with the name "Latvian flag" has been formed for the purposes of - unsurprisingly perhaps - putting a Latvian flag in a prominent position in central Riga to celebrate Latvia's centenary in 2018, reports LSM's Latvian service
Thousands of people are expected to flock to the central Latvian town of Cēsis on August 9 for the annual 'Medieval day' at the landmark Livonian Order castle. When the knights in armor have done battle, the visitors will leave, but a different battle will continue - one designed to lure back residents of Cēsis or 'Cesnieki' who have emigrated.
A decision by a Riga court to freeze the assets of a trailblazing investigative journal has put Latvia's press freedom credentials under fresh scrutiny.
For a man described by the UK's Daily Mail as having "links to high-ranking Russian political figures" Beness Aijo doesn't look particularly well-connected. Short and skinny, dressed in T-shirt and sandals with a floral-patterned bag slung over his shoulder, he looks far younger than his 35 years and could easily pass as a foreign student at Latvian summer school.
It is evidence of his enduring appeal that 64 years after his death in 1950, Latvian poet Aleksandrs Čaks enjoyed a book launch in Riga on July 17.
Latvian national airline airBaltic is talking to up to ten “serious” potential buyers, Transport Minister Anrijs Matiss told Latvian Television's “Morning Panorama” news broadcast Thursday morning.
Latvia's Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) announced Wednesday it intended to bring a criminal case against officials in Riga's powerful Housing Department on suspicion of taking substantial bribes over a long period of time.
Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma denied Wednesday that with just weeks to go until parliamentary elections, any new appointee to the position of Health Minister would be a lame duck.
Temperatures in Latvia hit record highs on Tuesday with the country's 500 kilometres of sandy beaches offering a welcome refuge to people keen to cool down.
Consumer prices rose by 0.7% in June compared to June 2013 according to official data released by the Latvian national statistics office Tuesday.
Choirs began to gather in Riga Tuesday ahead of the start of the World Choir Games, the centrepiece event of Latvia's year-long tenure as a European Capital of Culture, which runs July 9-19.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said Tuesday Europe needs to find leaders from Central and Eastern Europe as the process of selecting a new European Commission gets underway.
Latvia's internal security service, the Security Police (DP), has sent a file to prosecutors regarding alleged abuse of the Latvian flag by well-known Russian nationalist activist Jevgenijs Osipovs, the police confirmed Monday.
Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Vejonis on Monday called for permanent Nato bases in the Baltic states in response to the renewed threat posed by Russia following its annexation of Crimea.
Latvia's battle with economic migration is well known – according to some estimates around one in ten of the population has left in search of work since European Union accession in 2004 – and while state-level efforts to attract emigrants home have yet to garner real results, the town of Cesis in the centre of the country is taking matters into its own hands.