## Some are losing, while others are finding At the end of last week, the results of the July public opinion poll were released, which indicated that if elections were held now, 6 political forces would enter the new parliament. The leader of the election race is the United List, which has strengthened its position over the past month. In the elections, the coalition led by Kulbergs could count on the support of 19.2% of voters. The second place was taken by the coalition "Sovereign Power - Young Latvians" (17.1%). Closing the top three is "Latvia First" with 14.8% voter support. If elections were held now, the "Progressives" party would receive 14.3% of the votes. The National Alliance could count on 8.7% of voters. Currently, the five percent barrier is also being crossed by "New Unity," which is now supported by 7.2% of voters. The current ratings brought two sensations — firstly, a sharp rise in the popularity of the "Sovereign Power - Young Latvians" coalition, and secondly, a similar sharp decline in the rating of the ruling coalition's Union of Greens and Farmers. Yes, if elections were held today, the "Greens and Farmers" would most likely not enter the new Saeima! Currently, this political force is supported by only 4.2% of respondents! Experts are confident that the loss of voters by the Union of Greens and Farmers is mainly related to the rise in popularity of the United List, as these two political forces share the same electorate. "We see that the Union of Greens and Farmers is the first major victim of the United List, at least for now," noted sociologist and head of the SKDS sociological research center Arnis Kaktins in an interview with Latvian television. In other words, it is the United List of Kulbergs that has "taken away" votes from the "Greens and Farmers." "As much as one loses, the other gains, because they share the same electorate," added professor Juris Rosenvalds from the University of Latvia. Kaktins explained that the good ratings of the United List are explained by the leader phenomenon — Prime Minister Kulbergs and his personality. The Prime Minister has convinced part of society of the necessary changes in the country. Rosenvalds added that it is unlikely that the good ratings of the United List are related to the work of the government led by Kulbergs, as so far there have mainly been promises from him. The success of the United List is explained not by results, but by expectations. Expectations of change. ## Decisions are made at the last moment So, there are exactly two months left until the elections. Does this mean that the "train has already left" and the parties are unlikely to radically change the moods and choices of voters? No! The head of SKDS Arnis Kaktins reminded in the same interview with Latvian TV that many voters make their decision — whom to vote for — at the last moment. "The survey we conducted shortly after the last elections to the Saeima — that is, in October 2022 — showed that as many as 25 percent of those who voted made their decision on whom to support in the elections... in the last week before the elections! And if that’s the case, then parties that, according to the ratings, are currently falling short of the coveted 5 percent can still be saved. But for this, they need to go all in — to act aggressively and actively. We can assume that the "Greens and Farmers" and "New Unity," who have practically nothing to lose, will now do their utmost to rock the government boat. The "Greens and Farmers" have already started doing this yesterday — they demanded the cancellation of the hospital network reform approved just a week ago. ## Cancel the reform! "The Union of Greens and Farmers (UGF) calls for the cancellation of the planned hospital network reform by the Ministry of Health, which will significantly affect the ability of residents not only in the regions of Latvia but also in cities to receive necessary medical care in a timely manner. The parliamentary faction of the UGF has urged the coalition to clarify the impact of the order for the organization and payment of healthcare services adopted by the government last week on public health, especially regarding access to medical assistance in the regions. After meeting with the Latvian Society of Hospitals, the UGF concluded that the ministers have been misled: the decision was prepared hastily, based on outdated information, without a detailed assessment of how it would affect each Latvian's ability to receive quality medical care in a timely manner. Moreover, the opinions of organizations representing hospitals were not taken into account, including the Latvian Society of Hospitals did not have the opportunity to express its position at the government meeting. The UGF board believes that healthcare institutions should be strengthened in the regions, not planned for closure, therefore hasty reforms are not supported," the statement released yesterday said. As this material was being prepared for publication, the coalition council meeting, where this issue was to be discussed, was still ongoing. Even if this hospital network reform is canceled or its implementation postponed, it will not bring more money to the hospitals. It is clear that now at least two of the four coalition parties will be coming out with various loud initiatives almost every day. It should be noted that the latest rating showed that 23 percent of respondents have not yet decided whom they will vote for. So, there will also be a struggle for the votes of these undecided voters.