What's Driving Young Voters in Latvia? What influences young people when they vote? And how might military service model
Mi., 23. Sept.
|Zoom
When and where
23. Sept. 2026, 18:00 MESZ
Zoom
About this webinar
Latvia is an EU member state and vital to NATO's eastern flank. As the country with the highest share of Russian speakers in the Baltics it has been a steady target for Russian disinformation campaigns in the past years - campaigns that aim at alienating Latvians from Europe in order to sow instability in the country.
On October 3rd, Latvians are electing a new parliament in an election that has been heavily shaped by defense & security topics. With the renewing threat of military conflict, the country is also debating different military service models that could come into action after the election.
Join us for an engaging DBJW online webinar exploring Latvia’s elections, young voters, and the role of military service in today’s political debate.
Whether you’re interested in Latvian politics, youth participation, elections, defence, or European affairs, this is a great opportunity to hear different perspectives and take part in the discussion.
Meet the Speakers:
Elizabete Vizgunova Vikmane
Elizabete is a doctoral candidate at Riga Stradiņš University and a Senior Researcher at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs. She has extensive experience in Eastern European security and foreign policy analysis, with in‑depth knowledge of the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova and the South Caucasus countries.
Elizabete has gained experience in EU and NATO structures, and she has led international research teams and projects, and coordinated the work of an international mission in Ukraine under wartime conditions. Her methodological expertise includes political analysis and evaluation, narrative and discourse analysis, traditional and social media analysis, oral history methods, as well as interviewing and focus group facilitation, which she applies across both her historical and security‑policy research.
Māris Andžāns, Dr.sc.pol.
Māris Andžāns, Dr.sc.pol., is the Director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies. He is also an Associate Professor at Riga Stradiņš University.
Māris Andžāns is also an Associate Research Fellow and a member of the Academic Council at the Academy for International Affairs in Bonn, Germany.
He has been a Visiting Researcher at Harvard University, USA, a researcher at the Academy for International Affairs in Bonn, Germany, as well as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, USA. Previously, he was also Vice-Rector of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and Senior Researcher at the Latvian Institute of Foreign Affairs.