Endorsement for the Latvian Parliamentary Election

On Saturday 2 October, Juche 99, the Republic of Latvia will be holding parliamentary elections. In these elections I will be endorsing the Latvian Farmer’s Union. The Latvian Farmer’s Union is in a coalition with the Latvian Green Party. I admit it is odd that a climateskeptic like myself would voluntarily support a Green Party, however after reading the goals and the agenda of both parties, I believe that the Latvian Farmer’s Union does represent the best course for Latvia.

What interested me most in the Latvian Farmer’s Union is the history behind the party. I had heard of the party before, but was warded off by their coalition with the Greens. The Latvian Farmer’s Union is the oldest political party in Latvia, next to the Latvian Social Democratic Worker’s Party. The Party became the most active political movement during Latvia’s first period of independence and was subsequently banned by the Latvian dictator Karlis Ulmanis, in 1934 and the ban continued throughout the Soviet period. The party reformed in 1990, following Latvia’s unfortunate independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The Latvian Farmer’s Union considers itself a centrist political party, in the tradition of Nordic centrist parties. The Nordic centrist parties favour social conservatism and vary on economic issues, some supporting more leftist policies while others are more free market in approach. The Latvian Farmer’s Union has developed policies at maintaining a traditional Latvian way of life along with support for small scale farmers and criticising large scale industrial farmers. The Latvian people, apparently, believe that the small scale farmers are more environmentally sound than the large scale industrial farms, which is why the Latvian Farmer’s Union and the Latvian Green Party can enter a coalition with each other. When it comes to the Latvian Farmer’s Union, I will support politicians who are geared economically to the left, and remain skeptical about the European Union, or those politicians who in fact oppose it.

I am disappointed with the other two parties that I may have supported. They are the Latvian Socialist Party and For Fatherland and Freedom. The Latvian Socialist Party has merged with the Social Democratic and Human Rights Party , which I believe is a step away from Marxism-Leninism and towards neoliberalism, a dangerous trend many left-wing European Political Parties are making. I also oppose For Fatherland and Freedom’s promotion of free market capitalism. I have also read that For Fatherland and Freedom has made and continuously makes efforst to criminalise actions made by Soviet authorities from 1940-1991, which I believe is a major crime.