Work of the Saeima
The Saeima has been the name of the parliament of the Republic of Latvia since 1922. The Saeima is composed of 100 representatives of the people – members of parliament (MPs). The Saeima is elected by secret ballot for term of four years in general, equal and direct elections based on proportional representation. Any full-fledged citizens of Latvia who on election day have attained 18 years of age are entitled to elect the Saeima.
The Saeima has several functions, but its main task is to adopt laws. The chief principles of the work of the Saeima are contained in the supreme law of the Republic of Latvia – the Constitution – while the Rules of Procedure set forth the internal rules and work procedure of the Saeima.
The work of the Saeima is administered by the Presidium, which is elected by each new convocation of the Saeima at the beginning of its term of office. The Presidium consists of five MPs: the Speaker, two Deputy Speakers, the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary.
The committees of the Saeima work in a specific field or carry out other tasks; for example, they verify whether public expenditures are justified, decide whether the Code of Ethics has been violated, or coordinate Latvia’s national positions on European Union issues. In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, the Saeima currently has 15 standing committees.
The work of the Saeima is organised in sessions. In the course of a year, three regular sessions – autumn, winter and spring sessions – are held. Regular plenary sittings are held once a week on Thursdays at 9:00.
The daily work of the government is subject to the parliamentary scrutiny of the Saeima. The government as a whole and each minister individually are politically responsible to the Saeima.
More information about the work of the Saeima.
History of the main building od the Saeima
The history of the Latvian legislature