LEGAL ASPECTS OF RESTRICTING ACTIVITIES OF POLITICAL PARTIES

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.