According to forecasts, the liberal-conservative party Jauna Vienotiba (New Unity) led by Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins will be ahead in the parliamentary elections in Latvia.

The party therefore has 22 percent of the votes, as reported by state television on Saturday evening, citing a post-election survey.

The most important campaign issues in the EU and NATO country with around 1.9 million inhabitants were the war in Ukraine, high inflation and the quest for energy independence from Russia.

Pollsters predict that the new parliament will be fragmented given the possible entry of several small parties.

"The support for the 'New Entity' is mostly related to the war in Ukraine and the public reaction to it," Juris Rozenvalds, a professor at the University of Latvia, told Bloomberg news agency Union Security.”

For the first time, the Harmony party, supported by many Russian exiles, did not make it to the top.

According to the forecast, she has not even won enough seats to enter the Latvian parliament, the Saeima.

About a quarter of Latvians have Russian roots.

Ballots will be tallied throughout the night and results are expected on Sunday.

The election poll showed that eight parties were able to win parliamentary seats.

Karins, 57, was born in Delaware to parents who fled Latvia after the country was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union after World War II.

After earning his PhD in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, he returned to Riga in 1997.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February, Karins' party has been among the most vocal in support of tightening sanctions in the EU.

He has urged NATO to strengthen its eastern flank, including Latvia's 214-kilometer border with Russia.

Under his government, Latvia also toppled the 80-meter-tall Soviet monument in the capital.

Karins even promised to remove more Soviet monuments.

Latvia borders with Russia.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a large part of the population of Latvia fears that the Baltic country could also be attacked.