Kristīne Saulīte, Chair of the Central Election Commission [CEC], announced her resignation on Wednesday during a meeting of the Saeima’s Public Administration and Local Government Committee, writes Baltic News Network.

The committee is reviewing the recent municipal elections, which were marred by technical problems. During the meeting, Saulīte noted that new elements introduced in the election process had been positively received, such as mobile polling stations, as well as the fact that early voting lasted five days.

“Voter turnout in these elections was significantly higher. As we know, another matter defined in the law is that the responsibility for the systems lies with the State Agency for Digital Affairs (VDAA)”, - Saulīte said, adding that there were a number of technical glitches within the VDAA’s area of responsibility.

She also pointed out that on election night it was very difficult to obtain information from the VDAA: “I take responsibility for what falls within my competence… At present, I am being blamed for the failures of others”.

As Saulīte added, she has “no political backing”, which is why she is announcing her resignation.

During the committee meeting, CEC representatives stated that they could not take responsibility for systems that are not under their control. They emphasized they had done everything possible “to prevent a crisis situation”.

As previously reported, ballot counting during the 2025 municipal elections on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday faced technical issues. Problems also occurred earlier in the week during early voting, with polling stations experiencing technical failures.