President Calls for Manual Vote Counting in Upcoming Elections

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs calls on responsible institutions to make a decision now that votes in the upcoming autumn elections for the 15th Saeima will be counted manually, rather than using IT systems that may fail.

As reported by LETA, the president's advisor Martins Dregeris stated that Rinkēvičs has reviewed the information provided by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) regarding possible violations in IT procurements and their potential impact on the election process this year.

The president emphasized that authority in a democratic state is legitimate only if it stems from the will of the people, freely expressed during elections. Rinkēvičs noted that elections are considered free if voters can freely express their views and preferences, as well as combat violations of electoral procedures.

As the president indicated, quality organization and management of the process are essential conditions for free elections, excluding doubts about their security and the reliability of results. Free, independent, and transparent conduct of elections is the foundation of a democratic state, Rinkēvičs stressed.

In the president's opinion, the information provided by the European Public Prosecutor's Office last week about possible violations in IT procurements for government needs raises questions regarding the security of the electoral process and vote counting in the elections.

"Latvian society must have firm confidence that honest, transparent, and secure elections to the Saeima will be ensured in 2026, excluding any doubts regarding the potential influence of IT solution deficiencies on their results," Rinkēvičs stated.

He urged responsible institutions not to delay the decision and to announce now that vote counting in the 2026 elections will be conducted manually.

The president will provide more detailed comments on this issue today at 14:30 at the Riga Castle.

As reported, law enforcement agencies last week announced possible fraud in state IT procurements amounting to 1.5 million euros. A total of 21 individuals have been detained in connection with the case, including public officials.

According to the investigation, an organized group of individuals entered into an illegal agreement to pre-determine the winners of public procurements for at least six projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund. There are suspicions that officials assisted in implementing this scheme, and the illicit profits were distributed among the conspirators.