1,078 Laws Passed: A Summary of Latvia’s 14th Saeima Term
A Final Tally of 1,078 Legislative Acts
The 14th Saeima has shuttered its doors, closing a four-year term defined by a heavy volume of floor work. In its final summary of parliamentary activities, the legislature confirmed the passage of 1,078 laws. The bulk of this output—938 statutes—consisted of amendments, while 140 entirely new laws were enacted, according to eng.lsm.lv. This legislative output reflects the work of 100 deputies serving over the four-year period.
To reach these figures, the 100 deputies gathered for 215 separate sessions. Yet the real labor took place behind closed doors: committees met for a combined 3,574 sessions. Over the course of the term, lawmakers processed 1,268 draft laws and meticulously evaluated 13,675 individual proposals.
Cabinet Ministers Submit Majority of Draft Legislative Proposals
The Cabinet of Ministers drove the process, submitting 810 of the total draft proposals. By comparison, Saeima members introduced 221 drafts, parliamentary committees accounted for 219, and the President of the Republic submitted 18 initiatives.
The longest continuous session of the term spanned March 8 to 9, 2023, lasting 23 hours and 56 minutes as deputies hammered out the state budget. This grueling, marathon approach to fiscal policy has effectively become an informal tradition within the Saeima, with some members appearing to take pleasure in testing their endurance during the budget process.
Four Commissions Tasked with Public Oversight
Beyond standard lawmaking, the 14th Saeima launched four distinct investigative commissions to address pressing public concerns. These bodies were tasked with probing the consequences of tightened financial sector supervision on the Latvian banking system and identifying specific failures in the execution of the Rail Baltica project. Other commissions focused on the drivers behind soaring heating costs in Riga and the complexities surrounding national immigration policy.
The Most Vocal Deputies at the Rostrum
Data on parliamentary participation highlights the members who dominated the floor, measuring the quantity of contributions made from the speaker’s rostrum. Artūrs Butāns of the National Alliance topped the list with 403 appearances at the rostrum, outpacing Viktorija Pleškāne of the Latvia First party, who recorded 360.
The Latvia First faction maintained a heavy presence in the top tier of speakers. Edmunds Zivtiņš followed with 291 appearances, Ainārs Šlesers with 271, and Linda Liepiņa with 268. They were joined by independent deputy Aleksandrs Kiršteins (265), United List member and current Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (213), National Alliance deputy Jānis Vitenbergs (211), and Latvia First member Ramona Petraviča (210). Edgars Tavars of the United List rounded out the list with 209 recorded contributions. While the data tracks the frequency of these appearances, it does not necessarily correlate with the quality of the debates provided by the deputies.