Latvia regained its independence in 1991 and many reforms have taken place since then. Latvia is a parliamentary democracy and its parliament Saeima consists of 100 publicly elected deputies. In the early years of independence there were many political parties which have gradually consolidated into several strong political forces at present.

Plenty of new laws have been passed that have made the Latvian legal system compatible with Western democracies, and the process is still continuing. State regulation has been reduced to minimum and market mechanisms have taken over. Although the social sphere is a bit backward, most political, economic and legal aspects are on a comparable level with developed countries.