Latvia's pro-Russian Harmony Center party has won more votes than any other party in the country's early parliamentary elections.

With 95% of the votes counted, the Harmony Center party, whose MPs are almost entirely ethnic Russians, has won 28.54%, followed by the Reform party of outgoing President Valdis Zatlers, which won 20.78%, DPA reported citing the Latvian Central Electoral Commission. Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovski's Unity bloc came in third with 18.81%.

With no party winning an outright majority, a coalition government is expected to be formed within 10 days.

Both Harmony Centre and Unity are expected to court Zatlers' party and a third smaller party as coalition partners. Harmony Center co-leader Nils Usakovs on Saturday spoke out against talks with the Unity bloc.

Saturday's election followed a referendum to hold the elections three years earlier, after Zatlers accused Parliament of not doing enough to fight corruption and the oligarchs who dominate the economy.

Official data showed about 56% of Latvia's nearly 1.5 million eligible voters participated Saturday, down from 63% in October 2010.

The Harmony Center party is formally multi-ethnic but it technically represents the interests of the sizable Russian minority in Latvia.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti points out that "this is the first time in 20 years since the tiny Baltic state restored its independence that a party defending interests of the country's largest ethnic minority is leading in parliamentary polls."

Latvia has a total population of 2.3 million, of which almost 30% are ethnic Russians.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!