The centrist party of Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, United List, is on track to win the legislative elections held on Saturday in Latvia, according to exit polls, with many voters concerned due to warnings of a possible Russian aggression.
An exit poll conducted by the Latvian public broadcaster LSM shows that the United List party has obtained 35.6% of the votes, followed by the populist party „Latvia First” with 11.3% of the votes. In the lead-up to the election, this party has sought to attract the votes of the country’s Russian ethnic minority, Reuters reports.
The Baltic countries have repeatedly warned that Russia is orchestrating acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other forms of hybrid aggression across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine and spread fear, although Western officials dismiss concerns about Russia's ability to launch a direct attack on NATO, of which Latvia is a member.
Russia claims that such accusations are unfounded and result from anti-Russian hysteria.
"We cannot be the weak link. We must be strong. The entire eastern flank must show the same unity. That is our objective. We are the outer border of Europe, and it must be strong," Kulbergs stated in Riga on Saturday while exercising his right to vote.