1922 Latvian presidential election explained

Election Name:1922 Latvian presidential election
Country:Latvia
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Next Election:1925 Latvian presidential election
Next Year:1925
Election Date:November 14, 1922
Nominee1:Jānis Čakste
Party1:Democratic Centre (Latvia)
Popular Vote1:92
Map Size:300px
Map Alt:Votes by MPs
President
After Election:Jānis Čakste
After Party:Democratic Centre

The 1922 presidential elections in Latvia took place on November 14, 1922. By agreement between the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party and the Latvian Farmers' Union, Jānis Čakste was nominated as the sole candidate and elected the 1st President of Latvia with 92 votes in favor and 6 abstentions. The President was elected by the 1st Saeima.

Election process and results

Prior to the elections, the former Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly Jānis Čakste; the organizer of the Latvian Riflemen Battalions, the former Minister of Agriculture Jānis Goldmanis and the Minister of Justice Jānis Pauļuks were all considered as possible candidates for the presidency. Kārlis Ulmanis had refused to run for office, but there were still rumors that the Social Democrats could run the famous poet Rainis as their candidate. In the end, only Čakste was nominated, and with 92 votes (the largest support for a candidate in the history of presidential elections), he became the first President of Latvia.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Prezidentu "zīlēšanas" starpkaru Latvijā. dead. lv. June 9, 2007. Apollo.lv. Bormane, Anita. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022816/http://www.apollo.lv/portal/life/articles/101136. September 27, 2007.