RIGA, June 9 (LETA) - Thanks to the public initiatives platform Manabalss.lv, 118 changes have been made to Latvian legislation, including the Constitution, since its launch in 2011, Signe Valtina, editor-in-chief of Manabalss.lv, told LETA.

She reminded that Manabalss was created in 2011, when public dissatisfaction with political processes in Latvia culminated in the Oligarchs' Graveyard Festival. "Since then, the platform has become an internationally recognized tool for democracy and, judging by the results achieved, the most effective platform of its kind in the world," said Valtina.

The platform's representative pointed out that with the help of Manabalss, in 2019, amendments were achieved that introduced an open vote at the Saeima on the Latvian president. According to Valtina, this is the only known case in the world where a digital democracy tool has been used to change a country's fundamental law.

In local governments, 38 initiatives have achieved their goal.

Valtina also noted that about one third of the Latvian population uses the platform, while more than two thirds are its readers. On average, votes on citizens' initiatives take place every two weeks in plenary sessions of the Saeima, while the impact of initiatives on the state budget is estimated at hundreds of millions of euros, according to the platform's creators.

Valtina also pointed out that the results of the platform's activities reflect issues that are important to Latvian society. At the national level, Manabalss initiatives have contributed to real prison sentences for torturing and killing animals, free sanitary products for girls and women in schools, more public funding for cancer treatment and support for melanoma patients, the introduction of a deposit system for beverage packaging, which was approved in 2019 and has been in place since 2022, the introduction of a progressive tax system and many others.

In 2026, citizens achieved higher childbirth and childcare allowances, as well as maintaining the possibility to complete primary education remotely, Valtina listed and also highlighted several initiatives of local communities.

Valtina said that Manabalss is mainly funded by users themselves through micro-donations, and that in 2026 the platform received state support to continue its operations while maintaining its editorial independence. This independence is one of the founding principles of the organization and the basis for the model it wants to develop in other countries in the future, she said.

At a time when trust in institutions is being challenged in many parts of Europe, such tools are particularly necessary for citizens and democracy. "The next stage in our development is to help citizens in other countries to have an equally strong voice," said Valtina.

Manabalss project is implemented by the Foundation for Public Participation, whose board includes Imants Breidaks, Valtina and Valdis Pornieks.