Iscflul.9.2.05

https://doi.org/10.22364/iscflul.9.2.05 | 54-67 | PDF

Annija Karklina, Dr. iur., Professor
Faculty of Law, University of Latvia, Latvia

Anita Rodina, Dr. iur., Associate Professor
Faculty of Law, University of Latvia, Latvia

Legal Aspects of Restricting Activities of Political Parties

Key words: political parties, Constitution, prohibition of political parties, dissolution of political parties, Constitutional Court, courts

Summary
The authors explore the regulatory framework on the restriction of the activities of political parties in the Republic of Latvia, outlining a comparison with other European countries in this context. The article analytically reflects the progress of the collective submission handed in to the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia (Saeima) in 2022, which called for a ban of one particular political party. In conjunction with this, the authors analyse the findings of the European Court of Human Rights on issues related to the prohibition of political parties, seeking a balance between freedom of association as a fundamental right, on the one hand, and the protection of state and public security, as well as democratic values, on the other.

The current paper has been published in the second collection of research papers in conjunction with the 9^th International Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia “Revisiting the Limits of Freedom While Living Under Threat. II”, 9–10 November 2023. Riga: University of Latvia Press, 2024. 232 pages.