United for Latvia ( lv, Vienoti Latvijai) is a

populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

and

economically liberal Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...

political party in Latvia. It was founded in 2011 in

Rēzekne Rēzekne (, ; German: ''Rositten'') is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven hills, Rēzekn ...

and in 2013

Ainārs Šlesers Ainārs Šlesers (born 22 January 1970, Riga) is a Latvian business oligarch and politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Latvia, as well as Deputy Mayor of Riga. Currently he is a member of the Latvian Parliament with his political party, La ...

became party chairman. Šlesers has been dubbed one of the three "oligarchs" prominent in Latvian politics, and United for Latvia marks his return to electoral politics. He was previously leader of

Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way ( lv, Latvijas Pirmā partija/Latvijas Ceļš, LPP/LC) was a political party in Latvia created from the merger of the Christian-democratic Latvia's First Party (LPP), the liberal Latvian Way (LC) and the regional ...

and has served in several governments of Latvia including as Deputy Prime Minister in the government of

Aigars Kalvītis Aigars Kalvītis (born 27 June 1966) is a Latvian businessman and a former politician who was the Prime Minister of Latvia from 2004 to 2007. Currently he is the president of Latvian Ice Hockey Federation and the Chairman of the Board of Latvian ...

and Minister of Transport in the second government of

Ivars Godmanis Ivars Godmanis (born 27 November 1951) is a Latvian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Latvia from 1990 to 1993 and again from 2007 to 2009. He was the first Prime Minister of Latvia after the country restored its independence from t ...

, both of whom are party members. Other formerly prominent Latvian politicians who are now party members include

Jānis Jurkāns Jānis Jurkāns (born 31 August 1946 in Riga, Latvian SSR) is a Latvian politician, one of the leaders of the Latvian Popular Front, who served as foreign minister (1990–1992). Biography Jānis Jurkāns was born in 1946 into a family with Pol ...

and

Jānis Straume Jānis Straume (born 27 August 1962 in Sigulda, Latvian SSR) is a former Latvian politician for For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (TB/LNNK). He was the fourth Speaker of the Saeima (1998–2002) since 1991. Straume was a leading member of a num ...

. The party is yet to win seats in the

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the po ...

or the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. Šlesers and several other party members have been in the past among the Latvian politicians most willing to cooperate with

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

and other Russian parties in Latvia. In February 2016,

Inese Muhamberga Inese is a feminine Latvian feminine given name and may refer to: * Inese Jaunzeme (1932 – 2011), Latvian athlete *Inese Galante (born 1954), Latvian soprano opera singer *Inese Laizāne (born 1971), Latvian politician *Inese Lībiņa-Egnere ( ...

replaced Šlesers as party leader. In May 2018 she announced that the party would not contest the

2018 Latvian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite being fr ...

Election results

Legislative elections

See also

References

External links