Reduce Saeima Deputies to 70: Petition to Reform Latvia’s Parliament

Latvian civic initiative proponent Richard Bumbers has formally proposed amending Article 5 of the Constitution of Latvia to shrink the Saeima from 100 to 70 seats.

Why Richard Bumbers Proposes Shrinking the Saeima to 70 Seats

The core justification behind the constitutional overhaul is a stark demographic shift over the past three decades. According to the initiative’s author, downsizing the parliament to 70 representatives would approximately maintain the same ratio of residents to one deputy that existed in Latvia in 1993. Records from that period indicate a population of roughly 2.6 million inhabitants alongside 100 lawmakers sitting in the Saeima. Fast-forward to the beginning of 2026, and Latvia’s population stands at 1.845 million, while the number of parliamentarians still remains at 100.

To implement this reduction without breaking the electoral framework, Bumbers suggests appropriately amending the Saeima election law. Such a change would allocate seats across voting districts relative to the reduced total while preserving a fair and proportional voting model.

Expected Efficiency and Political Fragmentation Benefits in Riga

Proponents argue that a leaner parliament would fundamentally improve the quality of governance in the legislature. The creator of the proposal highlights several key benefits to trimming the lawmaker count, including heightened personal accountability, greater public prominence for individual members, lower chances of political division, easier alliance building, and a quicker, more streamlined legislative process.

Furthermore, the proposal points out that a smaller parliament makes it simpler to staff committees with members who possess genuine expertise in those specific domains. Supporters also maintain that trimming the size of the legislature could improve ties between representatives and the public, leading to stronger outreach across various regions.

Projected State Budget Savings and Salary Reductions for 2026

Financial considerations form a major pillar of the constitutional reform pitch as the government balances public expenditures. Another argument mentioned is the savings in budgetary funds. For the year 2026, the Saeima’s financial plan allocates 40.28 million euros, with roughly 31 million euros of that sum designated for the compensation of lawmakers and legislative employees.

Using 2026 wage projections and existing financial conditions, Bumbers estimated that cutting the roster from 100 to 70 legislators would yield yearly savings of roughly 1.5 million euros solely from base pay. Aside from standard wages, the proposal highlights that further financial relief would come from reduced spending on legislative assistants, allowances, and other expenditures that scale directly with the size of the parliament.