Wikipedia

For Stability!

For Stability!
Stabilitātei!
AbbreviationST!
LeaderAleksejs Rosļikovs
FoundersAleksejs Rosļikovs
Valērijs Petrovs [lv]
Founded26 February 2021 (2021-02-26)
Split fromHarmony
Alternative
Membership (2022)701Increase[1]
IdeologyPopulism
Russian minority politics[2]
Euroscepticism[3]
Political positionCentre[3][4]
Colours  Orange
Slogan"Stabilitātei- Jā!"
("Yes for Stability!")
Saeima
9 / 100
European Parliament
0 / 9
Website
partijastabilitatei.lv

For Stability! (Latvian: Stabilitātei!; ST!) is a Latvian political party founded on 26 February 2021.[5][6] It was founded by former members of the Riga City Council Aleksejs Rosļikovs and Valērijs Petrovs [lv]. It is a party that advocates Russian minority politics,[7] and it describes itself as centrist on the political spectrum.[8]

The party organized multiple protests in 2021 against mandatory vaccination and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

History

[edit]

Establishment (2021)

[edit]

The For Stability - Yes! (Stabilitātei - Jā!) group was founded in the winter of 2021. It was founded by two former Riga councilors elected from the list of the Social Democratic Party "Harmony": Aleksejs Rosļikovs and Valērijs Petrovs. In the early 2020 Riga City Council election, both councilors stood on the list of the Alternative party, which did not win seats in the council.[10] At the end of the ten days set aside for collecting signatures, a total of 315 people participated in the founding of the party. At the time of its founding, the party had 647 members.[11] The party's establishment was voted unanimously, and the party was officially founded on 26 February 2021.[12]

The group's leaders emphasized that they would build a political party free of sponsors, which would contribute to the stabilization of the state as its main task. They also announced that they would run in the local elections in 2021. They chose Law and Order and the Republic as the closest groups.[10]

13th Saeima (2022–2026)

[edit]

The party ran in the 2022 Latvian parliamentary election. It named Aleksejs Rosļikovs as the candidate for prime minister. Among others, it advocated for leaving the European Union, developing a sovereign economic policy, and direct presidential elections. Its programme also called for reforms to taxation and the education system. Additionally, it supported extending voting rights to non-citizens and has proposed prosecuting current and former politicians over their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, without speciying the legal mechanisms. The party promoted significant changes to the state's governance and electoral system and positioned itself as more radical than the Harmony party in pursuing what it saw as the restoration of Latvian independence.[13]

The party gained 62,168 or 6.8% of the votes, which gave them 11 seats in the 14th Saeima filled by Aleksejs Rosļikovs, Svetlana Čulkova [lv], Glorija Grevcova, Iļja Ivanovs [lv], Igors Judins [lv], Jefimijs Klementjevs, Dmitrijs Kovaļenko [lv], Nataļja Marčenko-Jodko [lv], Viktorija Pleškāne [lv], Viktors Pučka [lv] and Nadežda Tretjakova [lv].[14] The party's election performance was described by Public Broadcasting of Latvia as, perhaps, "the most spectacular success of the night" pointing to its seeming success in attracting a large numer of previous Harmony voters.[15] On 2 November, 2022, less than an hour after giving the Saeima member oath, MP Nadežda Tretjakova renounced her parliamentary mandate due to "unexpected family conditions" and was replaced by Jekaterina Dorošķeviča [lv].[16]

On 20 December 2022, The State Security Service issued a warning to the party over statements made by its members Aleksejs Rosļikovs and Glorija Grevcova to Russian and Belarusian propaganda outlets, saying such actions may violate Latvia's Law on Political Parties and could lead to legal action, including possible termination of the party's activities.[17]

On 17 March, 2023 Saeima deputy Glorija Grevcova who was convicted of providing false information about her education and work history to the Central Election Commission left the "For Stability!" party and its Saeima faction.[18][19] After her appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected, Grevcova was subsequently expelled from the Saeima on 15 February 2024[20] and replaced by Amils Saļimovs [lv] on February 22.[21]

In July 2024, Riga City Council member Yakov Pliner who had left Latvian Russian Union in 2022 and long-time "Harmony" politician Nikolai Kabanov [lv; ru] joined "For Stability!".[22]

On 2 July 2025, "For Stability!" MPs were denied an excused absence from a 5 June Saeima sitting after leaving the chamber in protest following leader Aleksejs Rosļikovs' expulsion for offensive and aggressive behaviour, and had 20% of their monthly salary deducted. The MPs said their presence was no longer possible "due to a lack of respect for opposition representatives and psychological pressure,” while Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa argued they had shirked their duties and backed Rosļikovs' "disrespect for the Latvian state, its citizens and the Saeima," calling it "unjustifiable."[23]

Six of the "For Stability!" MPs have been invited for Latvian language tests by the Latvian State Language Center, a move the party's leader Rosļikovs called a "politically committed affair." Two of the MPs attended and passed the language tests, Nataļja Marčenko-Jodko [lv] and Dmitrijs Kovaļenko [lv] didn't attend, were fined, appealed the fine and lost the appeal, while Jefimijs Klementjevs and Viktors Pučka were fined either for insufficient use of the national language or failing to comply with official requests and paid the fines.[24]

On 12 August 2025, MP Viktors Pučka resigned[25] and on 4 September was replaced by Jeļena Kļaviņa [lv] who immediately left the party's faction due to differing views and the faction's working style, as did MP Jekaterina Drelinga [lv]. Chairwoman of the "For Stability!" faction Svetlana Čulkova attributed their departure to the "unprecedented pressure" on the party from both the security services and the political environment.[26] On 14 August 2025, Riga City Council member Mairis Briedis left the political faction.[27]

On 10 February 2026, MPs Iļja Ivanovs [lv], Igors Judins [lv], and Amils Saļimovs [lv] left the party, reducing its Saeima faction to five members from the original 11.[28] On 18 February, MP Dmitrijs Kovaļenko [lv] also left, which resulted in the disbanding of the "For Stability!" parliamentary faction.[29]

Party program

[edit]

Political program

[edit]
  • The President is to be directly elected
  • Reform the European Union (EU) to give priority to national interests, or if not, leave the EU
  • Reduce tax rate on food, abolish tax on medicines
  • Electoral reform to allow the opportunity for people to vote for independent/nonpartisan candidates.
  • Reduction of the number of deputies in the Saeima from 100 to 50.
  • Reduce the number of government ministries from 13 to 11 by combining the Ministry of the Economy with the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Culture with the Ministry of Education.
  • Prohibit MPs from voting "abstain"
  • Opposition to vaccine mandates and lockdowns
  • Allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections.

Election results

[edit]

Legislative elections

[edit]
Election Party leader Performance Rank Government
Votes % ± pp Seats +/–
2022 Aleksejs Rosļikovs 62,168 6.88 New
11 / 100
 New 5th Opposition

European Parliament elections

[edit]
Election List leader Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
2024 Ņikita Piņins 10,307 2.00 (#11)
0 / 9
 New –
[edit]

The party's logo and initial abbreviation was the letter S with an exclamation point. The choice of the logo received a lot of criticism, especially in Sigulda, for the similarity of the logo with Sigulda's trademark "S!gulda aizrauj". Since Sigulda's trademark is 12 years older than the party, the court decided to ban For Stability! from using the "S!" trademark in economic circulation, including in advertising and online, without permission of the municipality of Sigulda.[30] Until December 2023, the party used the long version of the logo with the full name of the party before changing it to the current "ST!" one.

  • Short logo
    Short logo (2021—22)
  • Long version
    Long version (2021—23)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Informācija par politisko partiju biedru skaitu". Uzņēmumu reģistra tīmekļvietne (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  2. ^ «Stabilitātei!» līderis Rosļikovs: Krievvalodīgie Latvijā gaidīja ienākam jaunus politiskos spēkus
  3. ^ a b "Parties and Elections in Europe". www.parties-and-elections.eu. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  4. ^ "Latvia". Europe Elects. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  5. ^ ""Stabilitātei!" – pret ES, izglītības reformu un mācībām tikai latviski". www.retv.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  6. ^ "Prokrievisks un "antivakceru" spēks, jauna partija ar zināmiem līderiem. Kas jāzina par "Stabilitātei!"". www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  7. ^ ""Stabilitātei!" līderis Rosļikovs: Krievvalodīgie Latvijā gaidīja ienākam jaunus politiskos spēkus". October 2022.
  8. ^ "Partijas "Stabilitātei!" Rīgas saraksta līderis – Rosļikovs". September 2022.
  9. ^ Petr Oskolkov (3 January 2024). "Radicalized and Confused? The Russian Factor in the Latvian Electoral Politics". Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Rosļikovs un Petrovs dibina partiju "Stabilitātei!"". www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  11. ^ LETA (2021-02-01). "Rosļikova un Petrova dibinātajā partijā 'Stabilitātei!' pieteikušies vairāk nekā 300 cilvēki". delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  12. ^ "Stabilitātei!, Politiskā partija, 40008304516 - о предприятии". Lursoft (in Russian). 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  13. ^ "Saeima Elections 2022: All The Parties (Part 2)". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Saeima election results officially confirmed in Latvia". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  15. ^ Mike Collier (2 October 2022). "Verdict: Saeima elections 2022 winners and losers". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Saeima deputy steps down right after taking office". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  17. ^ "For Stability! party gets warning from State Security Service". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Disgraced MP Grevcova leaves party but will carry on in Saeima". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Scandalous Saeima deputy leaves For Stability and parliament faction". Baltic News Network. LETA. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  20. ^ "MP Grevcova expelled from Saeima after her appeal is rejected by Supreme Court". The Baltic Times. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  21. ^ "New Saeima deputy takes up mandate of disgraced predecessor". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  22. ^ "Familiar faces join 'For Stability!' party". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  23. ^ "For Stability! MPs will get pay cut for leaving Saeima session". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  24. ^ "'For Stability!' MPs repeatedly fined over language issues". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Saeima deputy sent for language test quits parliament". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  26. ^ "Saeima seat storm in For Stability! faction". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Boxer Briedis leaves For Stability! political faction". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  28. ^ "For Stability! parliamentary faction shrinks". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  29. ^ "'For Stability!' party fails to live up to its name yet again". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  30. ^ "For Stability! party banned from using S! as its trademark". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
[edit]