Προφίλ συναλλασσόμενης χώρας Λετονία

Political outline | Living conditions | Useful resources | Communications

Political outline

Executive Power

The President is the head of state and is elected by the parliament in a separate election for a four year term. The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He appoints the Prime Minister as head of the government who, in turn, has to receive a vote of confidence from the parliament and serves a four year term. The Prime Minister enjoys the executive powers which include implementation of the law in the country and running the day-to-day affairs.The Council of Ministers is nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Parliament.

Legislative Power

The legislature in Latvia is unicameral. The Parliament consists of 100 seats; its members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms. This parliament is called Saeima.

The executive branch of government is directly or indirectly dependent on the support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the parliament. The government does not have the power to dissolve the parliament. The people of Latvia enjoy considerable political rights.

Main political parties

Latvia has a multi-party system, where no one party has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. The major parties in the country are:
- JL (New Era Party)
- TP (People's Party)
- LPP (First Party of Latvia)
- ZZS (Latvian Green Party)
- TB/LNNK (For the Fatherland and Freedom)

Current political leaders

President: Valdis ZATLERS (since 8 July 2007) – Popular Front of Latvia; he succeeded Mrs VIKE FREIBERGA.
Prime Minister: Valdis DOMBROVSKIS (since march 2009).

Next election dates

Presidential: in 2011
Parliamentary: October 2010

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: There are no vaccination requirements, but vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is advisable if you are staying in the forest. Hepatitis A and B and typhoid vaccinations are also advisable.
For further information on sanitary conditions: International guide for travelers - Latvia.
For further information on safety conditions
Contact your Embassy: Embassy of Greece in Latvia
Elizabetes str 11, Appt 5
Riga, LV-1010, Latvia
Phone: (00371) 7356345
Fax : 7356351
greekemb-riga@mfa.gr

Emergency numbers

Firemen	01
Police	02
Medical assistance	03

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Riga (GMT+2 in winter, GMT+3 in summer)
Summer time period: Summer time from March to October

Map of the time zone

Type of climate: The country has a continental climate, tempered by the influence of the sea. Summers are often hot, with daytime temperatures of 25° C. Winters are relatively cold (-6° on average in January).