Increased regulation as a road to civility? Party legislation evolution in Latvia

Regulation of political parties in Latvia has gradually emerged from a more general legislation regulating non-governmental organizations. As such, it has been at the crossroads between protection of freedom of assembly and restrictions vital for a vibrant democracy. In particular, great emphasis has been laid on regulating party finance and its adjacent areas, where legislation appears to have evolved in response to increasing sophistication of campaigning.

While Latvia can claim reasonable success in establishing an enforceable regime party finance, the success begs questions about unintended consequences of the regulation. Furthermore, the existing regulation has loopholes that endanger national sovereignty but that may be very difficult to close without infringing upon basic freedoms. This paper will inter alia seek to explore the impact of regulation upon freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and internal party democracy in Latvia.