The year promises to be very hot in a political sense.
The last hours of 2025 are passing, and soon 2026 will come into its own - the year of elections to the Saeima. Given the expected fierce competition for a 'place in the sun' (that is, in the new Saeima), there is no doubt that the election campaign will unfold as early as January, and the situation will only heat up further.
Although the coalition has managed to avoid a governmental crisis and even strengthen itself (it will now have 54 deputies instead of 52), it is evident that the 'green peasants' will continue to play the role of 'rebels' and periodically align with the opposition. This behavior has been largely encouraged by the 'progressives,' who filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office against the Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze (Union of Greens and Farmers) regarding allegedly unjustified state aid to woodworking companies. It is clear that the scandal surrounding the 'woodworking case' will gain momentum next year and could even lead to the minister's resignation.
It is clear that, in light of the elections, right-wing politicians will continue to push the 'language issue' - referring to attempts to completely oust the Russian language from the public sphere and even informal communication in former 'Russian' schools.
Rumor has it that politicians, including those in power, mindful of the elections, will attempt to initiate a discussion about... the 'distribution' of pensions - following the example of Estonia and Lithuania, where residents were given the right to choose (at least partially) their savings in the second pension level.
In general, the next year will be... a storm before the calm, as the following two years in Latvia will pass without elections: the next elections for local governments and the European Parliament will only be in 2029.
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