In a political climate increasingly dominated by populists, nationalists and state-led solutions, ALDE Party member Latvijas Attīstībai believes freedom remains the most powerful idea of all. Rather than soften its liberal identity ahead of an election, the party is doubling down on it.
At their Congress on 6 June, the party unveiled their election programme, announced a candidate for Prime Minister and made a direct case for classical liberalism, an approach it says is increasingly rare in European politics.
In the election programme, they argue that Latvia’s growth should come from a smart economic breakthrough, built on innovation and unlocking the potential of its people. It calls for less bureaucracy and more opportunities for young people.
The programme also places a strong emphasis on security, including a proposal to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP and deepen cooperation with Baltic and Nordic partners amid growing regional uncertainty and a changing global order.
Party leader Juris Pūce argued that Latvia needs clearer political direction:
"For too long, the Latvian political environment has been filled with a swamp of ideas. Our values do not allow us to stand aside, we must take responsibility, offer ideology, clear ideas, a good programme and confidence in our own strengths. "
The Congress formally nominated Ivars Ijabs MEP as Latvijas Attistibai’s candidate for Prime Minister. The nomination places one of Latvia's best-known liberal voices and a sitting Member of the European Parliament at the centre of the party's campaign.
Accepting the nomination, Ijabs argued that elections are ultimately won not by personalities or slogans but by ideas, insisting that ideology remains the force that shapes how societies develop:
"Ideology determines development. We believe that freedom creates prosperity. I will do everything to keep alive in Latvian politics the idea that freedom creates prosperity."
Pūce described Ijabs as “a politician with deep ideological conviction, a person who defends freedom in the European Parliament on a daily basis. Ivars Ijabs is an energetic, decisive politician with a very clear and unambiguous credo of values.”
Latvijas Attistibai made the case that the country's next chapter should be built on trust in citizens and individual freedom. With Ijabs leading the campaign, the party is betting that a liberal message of freedom and opportunity can still make an impact.