Latvia election: EU CRISIS as pro-Russia party Harmony tops exit polls – ‘RADICAL CHANGE’

The centre-left party, which has never been in power, won 19.4 percent of the vote according to an exit poll by national broadcaster LTV.

Anti-Brussels populist party KPV LV earned 11.5 percent of the vote while the centre-right Union of Greens and Farmers got 9.7 percent.

Harmony wants Lativa – which borders Russia – to remain in both the EU and NATO, but have closer economic ties with Moscow.

NATO currently has more than 1,000 troops deployed in the Baltic country of two million. Even the potential of a minor shift in allegiance in Latvia will worry both Brussels and Washington.

Russian speakers make up around a quarter of the former Soviet nation’s population.

Latvia’s mainstream parties have, until now, successfully kept pro-Kremlin politicians from seizing power.

But that could now change if the populist KPV LV, led by firebrand politician Artuss Kaimins, agrees to form a coalition with Harmony. Either we will form a new government or they will Maris Kucinskis Harmony also won the most seats at the last election, in 2014, but could not persuade other parties to join a coalition. 

Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis warned that an electoral pact between Harmony and KPV LV would be «very dangerous».

Mr Kucinskis, of the Union of Greens and Farmers party, told reporters: «We are at a crossroads. Either we will form a new government or they will.

«A Harmony-KPV LV coalition would mark a rather radical change of Latvia’s position towards the EU and towards our security matters.» Andis Kudors, executive director of the Centre for East European Policy Studies, said Harmony could be used by Russia to influence EU affairs.

He told Reuters: «Harmony is like a kind of Trojan horse in the EU when we speak about common EU foreign policy in regards to Russia.»

Harmony has not ruled out working with any party and has said KPV LV’s voters will have to be respected.