Low voter turnout marked local elections in Latvia where the ruling center-right parties largely came out on top, with more than 80 percent of the votes counted, the election commission said Sunday.

In the capital of the Baltic state Riga, the previously mainly socialist city council will now be controlled by a center-right coalition, who already run the country on a national level.

Only 52 percent of 1.4 million Latvians bothered to cast their ballot Saturday in the Baltic state, independent since 1991 and since last year a member of the European Union.

The New Era party of former prime minister and current defence minister Einars Repse is in the lead in Riga with 18 percent of votes and will govern with the People's Party and the For Fatherland and Freedom (LNNK) party.

The change in Riga was not mirrored elsewhere, where the local parties already in government won comfortably.

"This shows that people are largely satisfied with and trust their local leaders," political analyst Janis Ikstens said.