itution:
15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human
Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented
the constitution

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December
2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
appointed by the Parliament
elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president;
parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - New Era 23.9%, PCTVL
18.9%, People's Party 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%;
seats by party - New Era 26, PCTVL 24, People's Party 21, ZZS 12,
First Party 10, LNNK 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of the Greens and Farmers Union or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS
(Farmer's Union); Indulis EMSIS (Green Party)]; First Party of
Latvia [Ainars SLESERS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or
PCTVL [Jakovs PLINERS]; For Our Latvia or ML [Rihards Jablokovs];
Latvian National Democratic Party or LNDP [Jevgenijs Osiopovs];
Latvian National Front [Aivars GARDA]; Latvian Social-Democratic
Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Alfred RUBIKS]; Latvia's
Way Union or LC; Light of Latgale or LG; New Era Party or JL [Einars
REPSE]; New Politics Party or JP [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; People's
Harmony Party or TSP [Janis JURKANS]; People's Party or TP [Atis
SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]; Union
for the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME];
United Social Democratic Welfare Party or SLP [Juris ZURAVLOVS];
United Republican Party of Latvia or LARP

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)
[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]

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