Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 14 and 15 July 1940, alongside simultaneous elections in Estonia and Lithuania, following the Soviet occupation of the three countries. The Communist Party of Latvia was legalised and it created the "Latvian Working People's Bloc" (which consisted almost entirely of the Communists) to take part in the elections. It was the sole permitted participant in the elections as an attempt to include the Democratic Bloc (Demokrātiskais bloks), an alliance of all now-banned Latvian parties except the Social Democratic Workers' Party, on the ballot was suppressed. The main figures of the Democratic Bloc were either arrested and deported or shot (Hugo Celmiņš) shortly afterwards, while a few (Voldemārs Zāmuēls, ) managed to escape t