LATVIA: Election

In Latvia parliamentary elections took place amid an orgy of mudslinging, which indignant Latvian conservatives characterized as “almost typically American.” Forty-six political parties put 600 candidates in the field. During a mad contest for the 100 vacant parliamentary seats, the art of calumnious oratory was carried to heights seldom or never attained before.

The Minister of Education, leader of the Democratic Centerist Party, was accused of demanding the equivalent of $2,000 in bribes from vodka-distillers. Heads less distinguished were cartooned in the papers and reviled from the platform with incredible grossness.

When the Gargantuan tumult subsided, 26 parties had gained seats for one or more of their adherents. Observers remarked that little Latvia may well claim to have more identifiable factions than any other republic. The new Parliament, when it assembles, will be called upon to elect the Latvian President.