PREVIEW: Latvia stages referendum on Russian as second language

By Alexander Welscher Feb 17, 2012, 15:08 GMT

Riga - Twenty years after independence from the Soviet Union, feelings are running high in Latvia on the eve of a referendum on whether Russian should become the second official language in what is now a European Union member state.

Saturday's referendum is deemed likely to reject the change, but the vote nevertheless reveals a deep divide among Latvia's population.

During the Cold War era, the idea of Russian being an official language in a EU country would have sounded like science fiction - but the idea is no longer far-fetched.

Around a third of Latvia's 2.3 million residents - and nearly every second inhabitant in the capital Riga - are of Russian origin.

The vote was initiated by a citizens' movement called Mother Tongue. The vote is not only about language, organizer Vladimir Linderman says. 'It is about honour,' he insists.

Latvian residents of Russian origin do not want to be 'second-class citizens,' Linderman says. 'We believe we have equal rights.'

The movement has the backing of Moscow. 'These people want to be heard and to be respected. They want to raise their children in their own language,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raid.

In Soviet times, the Kremlin settled Russians strategically in Latvia, where life had a predominantly Russian flair.

But after becoming independent in 1991, Latvians wanted to rid themselves of all vestiges of what many of them regarded as Soviet occupation. The Latvian language, which had long been neglected, was made the sole official language.

Anyone who wants to become a Latvian citizen has to pass a language test. As a result, around 15 per cent of the population are so-called 'non-citizens,' usually from Russia. They have residence permits, but fewer rights.

Most Latvian politicians reject the idea of automatically granting citizenship to the Russian-speaking population, or of adopting Russian as an official language. Parliament President Solvita Aboltina says: 'Latvia would be a different state, if Latvian was no longer the only official language.'

President Andris Berzins has even threatened to resign, should Russian become the second official language.

Language, however, is not the only issue. The pro-Russian, centre-left Harmony Centre political alliance sees the referendum also as a protest against ethnic discrimination. Harmony Centre recently emerged from parliamentary elections as the largest party, but was excluded from government.

'So far, there has been a tendency to one-sidedly serve the interests of ethnic electoral groups,' political scientist Deniss Hanovs told dpa, warning that the conflict surrounding the referendum could increase social tension.

Nils Muiznieks, the recently elected Council of Europe human rights commissioner, called for more dialogue. 'It is an error to categorically refuse to communicate with Latvian Russians in their own language,' he said on television.

At least half of the 1.5-million electorate would have to vote in the referendum in order to amend the constitution.

Surveys show that only about 25 per cent of Latvians favour Russian as the second official language, while some 60 per cent oppose it.

In December, parliament rejected a bill which would have made Russian the second official language. It also rejected a compromise proposed by Harmony Centre, which would have allowed Russian to be spoken when dealing with the communal administration.

The decision is now up to the people - but not to the 'non-citizens,' who are not eligible to vote.