About the Saeima

The Parliament of Latvia

The Saeima is the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia. There are 100 MPs in the Saeima.

Functions of the Saeima

The main functions of the Parliament of Latvia are:

legislation – the adoption of laws and legislative amendments;
parliamentary scrutiny – the supervision of the work of the government;
the adoption of the state budget;
the appointment and approval of public officials;
foreign policy.

Schedule

The work of the Saeima is divided into sessions. In the course of one year, there are three regular sessions of the Saeima – autumn, winter and spring sessions. Extraordinary sessions may be convened at any time during the recess between regular sessions.

International cooperation

Cooperation with parliaments of other countries is a significant part of the work of the Saeima. The Saeima has established delegations to represent the interests of our country in interparliamentary organisations, and MPs also form groups for promoting cooperation with parliaments of other countries.

History of the legislature

The People’s Council

The Republic of Latvia was proclaimed on 18 November 1918. Its first legislative institution — the People’s Council consisting of 40 members — was established on 17 November 1918 as a result of an agreement among 8 of Latvia’s democratic political parties and in cooperation with a representative of the Latgale Land Council. Due to the political situation, elections could not be held at that time. The Republic of Latvia was proclaimed on 18 November 1918.

Main building of the Saeima

The main building now occupied by the Saeima was constructed between 1863 and 1867 for the needs of the Livonian Knighthood according to the design made by Robert Pflug, a Baltic-German architect, and Jānis Baumanis, the first academically educated Latvian architect.

Informative materials about the Saeima

Presentations,Infographics, Fact sheets, Videos

Archive of previous convocations

Sestdien, 17.aprīlī