Who runs local government in Latvia?

Latvia has one tier of local government. A 2021 reform merged 119 local authorities into 43: 10 state cities (valstspilsētas) and 33 municipalities (novadi). Each has a council (dome) elected every four years, which elects its chair. Five planning regions are not elected.

Republic of Latvia · Unitary republic · Baltic states

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Planning regions (5: Kurzeme, Zemgale, Rīga, Vidzeme, Latgale)	Not directly elected; councils made up of municipal representatives	Regional planning and EU projects.
State cities (10) and municipalities – novadi (33)	Council (dome) directly elected every four years (last in June 2025); council elects the chair (priekšsēdētājs), who acts as mayor	Schools, social care, local roads, utilities, planning. State cities and novadi have the same powers.
Parishes (pagasti) and towns inside novadi	No elected council; run by administration staff of the novads	Local service centres for former municipalities.

Three questions about local power in Latvia

Are local leaders elected?

Councils are directly elected; chairs are elected by councillors. Residents' councils are formed by local residents under rules set by the municipality. Planning regions are indirect.

Which laws set up local government?

The Constitution (Satversme), the Administrative Territories and Populated Areas Law (2020) and the Local Government Law (2022). Residents' councils are formal but advisory.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

The Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) supervises legality; the Saeima can dismiss a council in serious cases (as it did with Rīga City Council in 2020). Voters judge councils at elections; the State Audit Office audits them.

Traditional and customary authority

There is no customary authority in law; churches have no formal local role.

Community and neighbourhood power

The Local Government Law of 2022 (in force 2023) allows municipalities to set up residents' councils (iedzīvotāju padomes) for parishes, towns or neighbourhoods, so communities that lost their own council in the mergers still have a voice. Their opinions are advisory. Non-governmental organisations and village associations are also active.

Points to know

Before the 2021 reform, municipalities ranged from about 940 to 614,600 residents (Rīga).
The Rīga region holds over half of Latvia's people and produced about 70% of GDP in 2019.
Latvia moved from two tiers to one in 2009, then cut the number of units again in 2021.

Local terms

Novads: Municipality formed from merged rural areas and towns.
Dome: Municipal council.
Pagasts: Parish: a rural area within a novads, without its own council.

Sources

Constitution of Latvia (Satversme) (1922, reinst. 1991, rev. 2018), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Latvia: country profile (territorial organisation, responsibilities, finance), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
Central Election Commission of Latvia, Centrālā vēlēšanu komisija, checked 14 October 2026
Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, Government of Latvia (VARAM), checked 14 October 2026