What is Latvia's current governing system?
Politics of Latvia
The politics of Latvia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The President holds a primarily ceremonial role as Head of State. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the Saeima. 
The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Latvia as "flawed democracy" in 2017.
Popular Front of Latvia
After the 1990 elections, Tautas fronte became the governing party in Latvia. On 4 May 1990, the first law passed by the new Supreme Soviet declared Latvia's intention to restore independence. Dainis Īvāns, the chairman of Tautas fronte, became the deputy speaker of parliament and his deputy, Ivars Godmanis, became the prime minister. Many other members of Tautas fronte took key positions in the government of Latvia.
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Soviet rule came to the end during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The first freely elected parliament of the Latvian SSR passed a declaration "On the Renewal of the Independence of the Republic of Latvia" on May 4, 1990, restoring the official name of the State of Latvia as the Republic of Latvia. The full independence of the Republic of Latvia was restored on 21 August 1991, during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt and fully recognized by the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991.
2014 Latvian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 4 October 2014. The previous elections were held in 2011, but according to the country's constitution, the parliamentary term was reduced to only three years following early elections (the 2011 elections took place a year after the 2010 elections).
Liepāja Party
The Liepāja Party () is a regionalist political party in Latvia. It operates in the city of Liepāja, where its chairman, Uldis Sesks, was mayor from 1997 to 2018. The party has an agreement with the Union of Greens and Farmers allowing party members to be elected in the Saeima, including current members Māris Kučinskis (incumbent Prime Minister of Latvia), Valdis Skujiņš and Aija Barča.
History of Latvia
On February 15, 1922 the Constitution of Latvia and in June the new Law on Elections were passed, opening the way to electing the parliament - Saeima.
Media of Latvia
Latvia is one of the three post-Soviet Baltic states having regained independence in 1991 and since 2004 is a member State of the European Union. After its independence there have been fundamental changes of political, economic and social nature that have turned Latvia into a democratic country with a free-market economy. This reflects on the media landscape which is considered well-developed despite being subjected to a limited market and a linguistic and cultural split between Latvian (58,2%) and Russian speakers (37,5%). In 2017 Freedom House defined Latvia’s press freedom status as “free", assigning to the country's press freedom a score of 26/100 (with 1 corresponding to the most free status). The 2017 World Press Freedom Index prepared annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) states that media in Latvia have a "two-speed freedom", underlying different levels of freedom for Latvian-language and Russian-language media. According to RSF's Index the country is ranked 28th among 180 countries.
Latvia
After centuries of Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, a rule mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy, the Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I. However, by the 1930s the country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis. The country's de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II, beginning with Latvia's forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union, followed by the invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941, and the re-occupation by the Soviets in 1944 (Courland Pocket in 1945) to form the Latvian SSR for the next 45 years.
First Godmanis cabinet
The first Godmanis cabinet was the government of Latvia from 7 May 1990 to 3 August 1993. It led Latvia to a restoration of its independence from the Soviet Union and was the first of two governments to be led by Ivars Godmanis, who was also Prime Minister from 2007 to 2009. It took office on 7 May 1990. It was replaced by the Birkavs cabinet on 3 August 1993, after the June 1993 election.
Language policy in Latvia
The Republic of Latvia (founded in 1918) was initially liberal in its language policy: while Latvianizing toponyms (e.g., Dvinsk became Daugavpils), it also allowed Russian and German languages to be used in Parliament along Latvian, acknowledged minorities' rights to learn in schools in their mother tongues and, despite switching public tertiary education to Latvian, did not forbid private post-secondary education in minority languages. State had acknowledged public use of Latgalian. After the 1934 Ulmanis coup d'état the policy changed, and many minority high schools were closed. Particularly hard hit were the Belarusian primary schools, all but 5 of which were closed. Belarusian schoolteachers and other intellectuals in Latvia were suspected of having a pro-Soviet agenda harmful to national security.
Politics of Latvia
The unicameral Parliament (Saeima) has 100 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation with a 5% threshold. The parliamentary elections are held on the first Saturday of October. Locally, Latvia elects municipal councils, consisting of 7 to 60 members, depending on the size of the municipality, also by proportional representation for a four-year term.
Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017
The Latvian national broadcaster, Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), broadcasts the event within Latvia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Latvia has selected their entries for the Eurovision Song Contest through a national final. Since their debut in 2000 until 2012, LTV had organised the selection show "Eirodziesma". In a response to the nation's failure to qualify to the final at Eurovision since 2008, between 2013 and 2014, the competition was rebranded and retooled as "Dziesma". However, after failing to produce successful entries those two years, LTV developed the "Supernova" national final in order to select their 2015 entry. The competition produced two Latvian entries in 2015 and 2016 that managed to qualify the nation to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2017, LTV announced that the "Supernova" format would return once again to select the Latvian entry.
Public Broadcasting of Latvia
Public Broadcasting of Latvia ( – LSM) is a publicly funded radio and television organization operated by both of Latvia's public broadcasters – Latvian Television and Radio Latvia. LSM provides news, analysis, culture, entertainment and new experimental content, produced mainly by Latvian Television and Radio Latvia, and by the portal’s editorial personnel. The site was launched on 3 February 2013. LSM content is also available in Russian and English. News content in English was made available from 1 July 2014.
2006 Latvian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 7 October 2006. The governing coalition, led by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis and his People's Party, won the election. Kalvitis's government thus became the first to be re-elected since Latvia had regained independence in 1991.
Latvia
The Latvian healthcare system is a universal programme, largely funded through government taxation. It is among the lowest-ranked healthcare systems in Europe, due to excessive waiting times for treatment, insufficient access to the latest medicines, and other factors. There were 59 hospitals in Latvia in 2009, down from 94 in 2007, and 121 in 2006.
Districts of Latvia
Before July 1, 2009 Latvia was divided into 26 administrative districts ("administratīvais rajons"; pl. "administratīvie rajoni") and 7 cities under state jurisdiction ("republikas pilsētas"; singular"republikas pilsēta"), indicated with asterisks:
Latvia
A freely elected Constituent assembly convened on 1 May 1920, and adopted a liberal constitution, the "Satversme", in February 1922. The constitution was partly suspended by Kārlis Ulmanis after his coup in 1934 but reaffirmed in 1990. Since then, it has been amended and is still in effect in Latvia today. With most of Latvia's industrial base evacuated to the interior of Russia in 1915, radical land reform was the central political question for the young state. In 1897, 61.2% of the rural population had been landless; by 1936, that percentage had been reduced to 18%.
Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
The Latvian national broadcaster, Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), broadcasts the event within Latvia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Latvia has selected their entries for the Eurovision Song Contest through a national final. Since their debut in 2000 until 2012, LTV had organised the selection show "Eirodziesma". In a response to the nation's failure to qualify to the final at Eurovision since 2008, between 2013 and 2014, the competition was rebranded and retooled as "Dziesma". However, after failing to produce successful entries those two years, LTV developed the "Supernova" national final in order to select their 2015 entry. The competition produced two Latvian entries in 2015 and 2016 that managed to qualify the nation to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2018, LTV announced that the "Supernova" format would return once again to select the Latvian entry.
Constitution of Latvia
The Constitution of Latvia () is the fundamental law of the Republic of Latvia. Satversme is the oldest Eastern or Central European constitution still in force and the sixth oldest still-functioning republican basic law in the world. It was adopted, as it states itself in the text, by the people of Latvia, in their freely elected Constitutional Assembly of Latvia on 15 February 1922 and came into force on 7 November 1922. It was heavily influenced by Germany's Weimar Constitution and the Swiss Federal Constitution. The constitution establishes the main bodies of government (Saeima, State President, Cabinet of Ministers, Courts, State Auditor); it consists of 115 articles arranged in eight chapters.
2018 Latvian parliamentary election
The 2014 elections saw Social Democratic Party "Harmony" emerge as the largest party. Although the largest party, Harmony has not participated in the government. A coalition was formed by Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers and the National Alliance with Laimdota Straujuma as Prime Minister. On 7 December 2015 she resigned after increasing tensions within the ruling coalition. Following her resignation and several scandals around the Unity leader Solvita Āboltiņa, opinion polls showed a rapid decrease of support for Unity. On 13 January 2016 Māris Kučinskis of the Union of Greens and Farmers was nominated to be the next Prime Minister by President Raimonds Vējonis. His government was approved by the Saeima on 11 February.
History of Latvia
The First Latvian National Awakening began in the 1850s and continued to bear fruit after World War I when, after two years of struggle in the Latvian War of Independence, Latvia finally won sovereign independence, as recognised by Soviet Russia in 1920 and by the international community in 1921. The Constitution of Latvia was adopted in 1922. Political instability and effects of the Great Depression led to the May 15, 1934 coup d'état by Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. Latvia's independence was interrupted in June–July 1940, when the country was occupied and incorporated into the Soviet Union. In 1941 it was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany, then reconquered by the Soviets in 1944–45.
Taxation in Latvia
Taxation in Latvia have gone through major reforms since leaving the soviet union in 1991 and making a transition from a central run economy to a market economy. The fiscal system in Latvia after leaving soviet in Latvia was similar other former communist states with high public spending (45-50% GDP) and a tax system that relied in tax base definitions characteristic of central planning. Since then a long range of reforms have been made, including introducing a VAT in 1992 and Social Security Contributions.
History of the Jews in Latvia
Three districts of the province of Vitebsk, in which most of the population was Latvian, Latgallia (), including the large community of Daugavpils (Dvinsk), were joined to Courland (Kurzeme), Semigallia (Zemgale) and Livonia (Vidzeme), and the independent Latvian Republic was established (November 1918). At first, a liberal and progressive spirit prevailed in the young state but the democratic regime was short-lived. On May 15, 1934, the prime minister, Karlis Ulmanis, dissolved parliament in a coup d'état and Latvia became an autocracy. Ulmanis was proclaimed a president of the nation. His government inclined to be neutral.
Who owns the state?
In July 2018, the party experienced a steep rise in ratings, reaching 7.0%, in comparison with 4.4% just a month before, and became the third most popular political party in Latvia. Political scientist Ivars Ījābs credited the case to Kaimiņš, co-chairman of the party Atis Zakatistovs and businessman Viesturs Tamužs being detained by anti-graft police in late June for an alleged illegal party financing that Kaimiņš claimed was politically motivated. In August the party's rating rose to 7.5%, but then dropped to 6.2% a month later. According to the results of a survey organized by the Union of European Latvians and the website latviesi.com, KPV LV was the most popular political party in the Latvian diaspora in September 2018, with nearly 25% in support. The party's prime minister candidate for the 2018 Latvian parliamentary election was attorney Aldis Gobzems.
Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia
Various public events take place all over the country, including concerts and fireworks. Torchlight processions held by various organizations have been part of Proclamation Day celebrations and Lāčplēsis Day celebrations since the 1920s. The largest torchlight procession organized by the National Alliance takes place in the capital city Riga and attracts several thousand participants every year. Its route through the streets of the city centre traditionally starts at the monument of Kārlis Ulmanis, the first prime minister of Latvia, and ends at the Freedom Monument. Another tradition with a long history is the Latvian National Armed Forces parade, which nowadays is held at 11 November Embankment in Riga. A popular modern tradition established in 2009, is for people all over the world to sing the Latvian national anthem "Dievs, svētī Latviju!" at the same time (21:00 EET).
Politics of Latvia
After negotiations, a "crisis-handling" government was formed, with the participation of the same parties, led by former PM Ivars Godmanis, a respectable public figure, and member of Latvian Way. The government tried to impose austerity measures, with moderate success. This was accompanied, though, with a widespread public opposition, which resulted in two referenda, one on pensions, the other on constitutional amendments, which would have allowed the electorate to initiate the dissolution of the parliament.
Politics of Latvia
Kalvītis was the first prime minister in the history of post-soviet independent Latvia whose government was reelected by an election in 2006. New Era Party, however, weakened, so a coalition reshuffle took place, and a 4-party centre-right coalition emerged. The government lasted only until 5 December 2007, when Kalvitis resigned due to his continuous and unsuccessful attempts to dismiss Aleksejs Loskutovs, the head of KNAB, the State Anti-Corruption Agency, after Loskutov's had investigated shadowy matters of the PM's party.
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Latvia (), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Since its independence, Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of . The country has a temperate seasonal climate.
Dissolution of parliament in Latvia
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, was also dissolved unconstitutionally on May 15, 1934 following a bloodless coup organized by then-Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The Cabinet declared a military state of emergency and suspended the activity of all parties which effectively put a ban on the work of the Saeima. This act was in direct violation of the Constitution and led to the establishment of an authoritarian regime.
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party
The Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party (, LSDSP) is a social-democratic political party in Latvia. It has a long history but is not represented in the current parliament of Latvia.
NUTS statistical regions of Latvia
* Due to Administrative Territorial Reform (1 July 2009) administrative districts no longer exist as administrative units in Latvia. Municipalities and parishes amalgamated and formed new LAU 2 units – municipalities. "LAU 2 codes from 1 July 2009 updated version.""
"Changes of LAU 2 codes on 1 July 2009 can be viewed here"
Aigars Kalvītis
His governing coalition retained power in the 7 October 2006 parliamentary election, winning a slight majority of seats and becoming the first government since Latvian independence in 1991 to be re-elected. It now consists of the People's Party, Union of Greens and Farmers, the Latvia First/Latvian Way Party, and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK. For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK was added after the 2006 elections, and strengthens the coalition's majority to 59 of the 100 seats. Meanwhile, the People’s Party became the largest party in Parliament. Kalvītis became its chairman.
Outline of Latvia
Government of Latvia
Court system of Latvia
Constitution of Latvia
There was a considerable amount of discussion in Latvia about the initiative for a Preamble and its contents. For example, some organizations stated that text aims to anchor in the State Constitution an "Ethnic Latvian Nation" as the primary principle of sovereignty, in contrast to the current multi-ethnic country which is composed of the "people of Latvia". Others opposed mentioning of "Christian values" and "Latvian life-wisdom" as outdated and not fitting for the 21st century. Legal scholar Kristine Jarinovska states that idea Levits has proposed is to describe all basic values of the Republic of Latvia in order to put a stop to misuse of popular will. A referendum to approve or disapprove the initiative to add an inviolable preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia is not necessary, stated Justice Minister of Latvia Jānis Bordāns.
Latvia
In 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution on the "Occupation of the Baltic states", in which it declared the occupation "not in accordance with law", and not the "will of the Soviet people". Pro-independence Popular Front of Latvia candidates gained a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in the March 1990 democratic elections. On 4 May 1990, the Supreme Council adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, and the Latvian SSR was renamed Republic of Latvia.
Baltic states
The Baltic countries are located in Northern Europe, and because each has access to the sea, it is able to interact with many European countries. All three countries are parliamentary democracies, which have unicameral parliaments that are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms – Riigikogu in Estonia, Saeima in Latvia and Seimas in Lithuania. In Latvia and Estonia, the president is elected by parliament while Lithuania has a semi-presidential system where the president is elected by popular vote. All are parts of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
All for Latvia!
All For Latvia! supports making Latvian citizenship laws more restrictive, by introducing strict limits on the number of people who can be naturalized into Latvian citizenship in one year. All For Latvia! would like to increase the percentage of ethnic Latvians from the current 59% of the Latvian population to at least 75%, by providing financial support to ethnic non-Latvians who would like to leave the country and ethnic Latvians from abroad who would like to return to Latvia. All For Latvia! supports a greater role for the Latvian language and proposes to make it the only language of instruction in publicly funded primary and secondary schools, starting from 2015. The party is opposed to European federalism.
Latvia
Latvia's foreign policy priorities include co-operation in the Baltic Sea region, European integration, active involvement in international organisations, contribution to European and transatlantic security and defence structures, participation in international civilian and military peacekeeping operations, and development co-operation, particularly the strengthening of stability and democracy in the EU's Eastern Partnership countries.
Since the early 1990s, Latvia has been involved in active trilateral Baltic states co-operation with its neighbours Estonia and Lithuania, and Nordic-Baltic co-operation with the Nordic countries. The Baltic Council is the joint forum of the interparliamentary Baltic Assembly (BA) and the intergovernmental Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM). Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB-8) is the joint co-operation of the governments of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Nordic-Baltic Six (NB-6), comprising Nordic-Baltic countries that are European Union member states, is a framework for meetings on EU-related issues. Interparliamentary co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and Nordic Council was signed in 1992 and since 2006 annual meetings are held as well as regular meetings on other levels. Joint Nordic-Baltic co-operation initiatives include the education programme NordPlus and mobility programmes for public administration, business and industry and culture. The Nordic Council of Ministers has an office in Riga.
Popular Front of Latvia
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. Almost immediately an armed resistance started, which under the name of Forest Brothers continued until 1991. A chance to regain independence came in 1980s when Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to reform the Soviet Union. In particular, Gorbachev's "glasnost" policy allowed more freedom of speech in the Soviet Union than ever before.
Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia was the transitional parliament of Latvia from 1990 to 1993, after the restoration of independence. The Supreme Council was elected on 1990 as the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR. On 1990 it declared the restoration of independence of Latvia and began a transitional period which lasted until the first session of the fifth Saeima on 1993. Independence was fully restored on 1991 during the Soviet coup attempt.
Constitution of Latvia
emphasising that Latvia is actively participating in international affairs; protecting its interests; and contributing to the human, sustainable, democratic, and responsible development of Europe and the world at large,
in line with the national anthem ‘God Bless Latvia!’, which expresses the idea of a free nation-state in its freely elected Constitutional Assembly, have strengthened the Latvian national constitutional order and adopted the following Satversme of the state
State Chancellery of Latvia
Mikhail Gorbachev after becoming a Soviet leader in 1985 launched democratic reforms. That was the beginning of Atmoda (Latvian national awakening), the Government of the Latvian SSR and its administration commenced implementation of an independent policy; already in 1990 the majority in the Government supported the idea for an independent state.
Latvia
However, the central power in Moscow continued to regard Latvia as a Soviet republic in 1990 and 1991. In January 1991, Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Republic of Latvia authorities by occupying the central publishing house in Riga and establishing a Committee of National Salvation to usurp governmental functions. During the transitional period, Moscow maintained many central Soviet state authorities in Latvia.
Latvian Green Party
In February 2004, after the breakdown of the four-party government, Indulis Emsis was appointed to form a new government and became the first head of government of a country anywhere in the world from a Green party. His minority government was forced to resign in December of the same year. A new coalition government led by the People’s Party took office, in which the party was again represented as part of the ZZS.
Latvia
Latvia is a member of the United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE, IMF, and WTO. It is also a member of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and Nordic Investment Bank. It was a member of the League of Nations (1921–1946). Latvia is part of the Schengen Area and joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2014.
Abortion in Latvia
Abortion in Latvia is legal and is available on request within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy; and for medical reasons until 22 weeks. While Latvia was a republic of the Soviet Union, abortions were regulated by the Government of the Soviet Union. The Government of Latvia has a "surveillance system" which allows it to collect information on the numbers of abortions performed.
Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019
The Latvian national broadcaster, Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), broadcasts the event within Latvia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Latvia has selected their entries for the Eurovision Song Contest through a national final. Since their debut in 2000 until 2012, LTV had organised the selection show "Eirodziesma". In a response to the nation's failure to qualify to the final at Eurovision since 2008, between 2013 and 2014, the competition was rebranded and retooled as "Dziesma". However, after failing to produce successful entries those two years, LTV developed the "Supernova" national final in order to select their 2015 entry. The competition produced two Latvian entries in 2015 and 2016 that managed to qualify the nation to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2019, LTV announced that the "Supernova" format would return once again to select the Latvian entry.
History of Latvia
After Latgale was finally liberated from the Soviets in January 1920, on April 17–18, 1920 elections to the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia were held. While the population of Latvia had fallen by almost a million, from 2,552,000 to 1,596,000 in 1920 (in Riga from 520,000 to 225,000), they were represented by 50 lists of parties and candidates that competed for 150 seats. Close to 85% eligible voters participated in elections and 16 parties were elected. Social Democratic Workers' Party won 57, Farmers' Union 26, Latgalian Peasant Party won 17 seats. This voting pattern marked all the future parliaments - high number of parties representing small interest groups required formation of unstable coalition governments, while the largest single party, Social Democrats, held the post of Speaker of the Saeima, they avoided participating in governments. Between 1922 and 1934 Latvia had 13 governments led by 9 Prime Ministers.
Kārlis Ulmanis
For the next month Ulmanis cooperated with the Soviets. He resigned as prime minister three days after the coup, and appointed a left-wing government headed by Augusts Kirhenšteins—which, in truth, had been chosen by the Soviet embassy. Soviet-controlled elections for a "People's Saeima" were held on July 14-15, in which voters were presented with a single list from a Communist-dominated alliance. The new "People's Saeima" met on July 21 with only one order of business—a resolution proclaiming Latvia a Soviet republic and seeking admission to the Soviet Union, which carried unanimously. This move was illegal under the Latvian Constitution, which stipulated that a major change to the basic constitutional order could only be enacted after two-thirds of the electorate approved it via a plebiscite.
History of Latvia
On March 3, 1919 German and Latvian forces commenced a counterattack against the forces of Soviet Latvia.
On April 16 the Baltic nobility organized a coup d'état in Liepāja and the puppet government under the
leadership of Andrievs Niedra was established. The provisional national government took the refuge aboard steamship "Saratov" under British protection
in Liepaja harbour.
On 22 May 1919 Riga was recaptured by Freikorps and White Terror against any suspected Soviet sympathizers began. The same time Estonian Army including the North Latvian Brigade loyal to Ulmanis government starts a major offensive against the Soviets in north Latvia. By the middle of June Soviet rule was reduced to Latgale.
2010 Latvian parliamentary election
After surviving a vote of no confidence in early February, PM Ivars Godmanis resigned on 2009 after the two largest parties (People's Party and the Union of Greens and Farmers) called for his dismissal. A new government was formed, headed by Valdis Dombrovskis. There were also discussions that President Zatlers might use the parliamentary dissolution power of Latvian President to call a referendum on holding early elections. Zatlers stated on 2009 that early elections might be necessary, and that he was willing to extend the deadline for reforms from for one week to 2009 due to the collapse of the government.
Politics of Latvia
Latvian is the sole state language in Latvia; while the threatened Livonian language is recognized as "the language of the indigenous (autochthon) population". The Latgalian written language is also protected "as a historic variant of the Latvian language." All other languages are considered foreign by the law on state languages. Two parliamentary parties, Harmony Centre and ForHRUL, have requested that Russian (26.9% of inhabitants, according to the 2011 census, are Russians) be given official status.
Latgale
Latgale (; ; ) is one of the four historical and cultural regions of Latvia recognised in the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava River. While most of Latvia is historically Lutheran, Latgale is predominantly Roman Catholic, in fact, according to a 2011 survey, 65.8% of the total population is Catholic. There is also a strong Eastern Orthodox minority, comprising the 23.8%, divided in 13.8% Russian Orthodox Christians and 10.0% Old Believers.
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
In the second half of the 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev started to introduce political and economic reforms called glasnost and Perestroika. In the summer of 1987 large demonstrations were held in Riga at the Freedom Monument, a symbol of national independence. In the summer of 1988 a national movement cohered in the Popular Front of Latvia. The Latvian SSR, along with the other Baltic Republics, was allowed greater autonomy and in 1988 the old national flag of Latvia was legalized, replacing the Soviet Latvian flag as the official flag in 1990. Pro-independence Latvian Popular Front candidates gained a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in the March 1990 democratic elections.
Popular Front of Latvia
In 1989 and 1990, the first free elections were held in Latvia since Kārlis Ulmanis' "coup d'état" in 1934. The most important were the elections to the Supreme Soviet, the parliament of the Latvian SSR, on 18 March 1990. A pro-independence coalition, led by Tautas Fronte, won 138 out of 201 seats in the Supreme Soviet, more than the 2/3 majority needed to amend the Constitution.
Raimonds Vējonis
Raimonds Vējonis (born 15 June 1966) is the current President of Latvia, in office since 2015. He is a member of the Green Party, part of the Union of Greens and Farmers. He served as Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in 2002 and in 2011 and as Minister of the Environment from 2003 to 2011, while the Ministry of Regional Development was a separate department. He became Minister of Defence of Latvia in 2014 and held that office until becoming President in 2015.
National Alliance (Latvia)
Formed as an electoral alliance for the 2010 election, the National Alliance brought together For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK and All for Latvia!. It won eight seats, placing it fourth among all parties. It merged into a single political party in July 2011 under the leadership of Gaidis Bērziņš and Raivis Dzintars. In the October 2014 election, it again increased its seats to seventeen, and entered a centre-right coalition, along with Unity and the Union of Greens and Farmers under Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma. The Party has participated in every government of Latvia since the 2011 parliamentary election to prevent Harmony Centre, a centre-left, pro-Russian interests political party from entering the leading coalition.
Politics of Lithuania
Executive power is exercised by the President and the Government, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Legislative power is vested in both the Government and the unicameral Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament). Judicial power is vested in judges appointed by the President of Lithuania and is independent of executive and legislature power. The judiciary consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal as well as the separate administrative courts. The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania established these powers upon its approval on 25 October 1992. Being a multi-party system, the government of Lithuania is not dominated by any single political party, rather it consists of numerous parties that must work with each other to form coalition governments. The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Lithuania as "flawed democracy" in 2016.
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
On May 4, the Council declared restoration of Latvian independence after a transitional period through negotiations with the USSR. This is also the date, when Latvian SSR was renamed Republic of Latvia. However, the central power in Moscow continued to regard Latvia as Soviet republic in 1990–1991. In January 1991, Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Republic of Latvia authorities by occupying the central publishing house in Riga and establishing a Committee of National Salvation to usurp governmental functions. During the transitional period Moscow maintained many central Soviet state authorities in Latvia. In spite of this, seventy-three percent of all Latvian residents confirmed their strong support for independence on March 3, 1991, in a non-binding advisory referendum. A large number of ethnic Russians also voted for the proposition. The Republic of Latvia declared the end of the transitional period and restored full independence on 21 August 1991 in the aftermath of the failed Soviet coup attempt. Latvia, as well as Lithuania and Estonia de facto ceased to be parts of the USSR four months before the Soviet Union itself ceased to exist (26 December 1991). Soon, on 6 September, the independence of three Baltic states was recognized by the USSR. Today's Republic of Latvia and other Baltic states consider themselves to be the legal continuation of the sovereign states whose first independent existence dates back to 1918–1940, and does not accept any legal connection with the former Latvian SSR which had been occupied and annexed into USSR 1940–1941 and 1944–1991. Since independence, the Communist Party of the Latvian SSR was discontinued, and a number of high-ranking Latvian SSR officials faced prosecution for their role in various human rights abuses during the Latvian SSR regime. Latvia later joined NATO and the European Union in 2004.
Supreme Court of Latvia
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia () is the highest level court in the three-tiered court system of Latvia. It deals with criminal, civil and administrative matters. Its oversight is determined in the Constitution, the structure and competence of the court are established by the Act On Judicial Power. The Court consists of the Civil Cases Court, three departments, administration and two divisions, located in the Palace of Justice on Brīvības Boulevard, Central Riga.
Who owns the state?
KPV LV received the second largest number of votes (14.25%) among the parties participating in the 2018 Latvian parliamentary election and earned 16 seats in the 13th Saeima. After Jānis Bordāns of New Conservative Party (which also earned 16 seats in parliament) was unsuccessful in negotiating a governing coalition, President Raimonds Vējonis nominated Gobzems as Prime Minister of Latvia on November 26, 2018, however Gobzems was also unsuccessful in forming a government and on December 10 Vējonis withdrew his candidacy.
Politics of Latvia
The 30 September-1 October 1995 elections produced a deeply fragmented parliament with nine parties represented and the largest party - the newly founded centrist Democratic Party "Saimnieks" - commanding only 18 of 100 seats. Attempts to form right-of-center and left-wing governments failed; 7 weeks after the election, a broad but fractious coalition government of six of the nine parties was voted into office under Prime Minister Andris Šķēle, a nonpartisan businessman. The also-popular president, Guntis Ulmanis, had limited constitutional powers but played a key role in leading the various political forces to agree finally to this broad coalition. In June 1996, the Saeima re-elected Ulmanis to another 3-year term. In the summer of 1997, the daily newspaper "Diena" revealed that half the cabinet ministers and two-thirds of parliamentarians appeared to violate the 1996 anti-corruption law, which bars senior officials from holding positions in private business. Under pressure from Šķēle, several ministers subsequently resigned or were fired. However, after months of increasing hostility between Šķēle and leading coalition politicians, the coalition parties demanded and received the prime minister's resignation on 28 July. The new government was formed by the recent Minister of Economy Guntars Krasts. It included the same parties and mostly the same ministers as Šķēle's government. It pursued the same course of reform, albeit not as vigorously.
List of political parties in Latvia
This is a list of political parties in Latvia. Latvia has a multi-party system, where no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.
Constitution of Latvia
Thus the constitution establishes five government bodies - the Saeima, the President, the Cabinet, the Courts and the State Audit Office.
Popular Front of Latvia
All or almost all the political goals of Tautas fronte have been achieved. Latvia is now an independent country, with Latvian as the only official language. Its economy and politics, formerly socialist and oriented towards the Soviet Union, is now free-market and European-oriented. While Tautas fronte itself ceased to exist during the economic difficulties of the mid-1990s, many of its former activists have important roles in today's Latvia.
History of Latvia
Subsequent steps toward full independence were taken on May 4, 1990. The Latvian SSR Supreme Council, elected in the first democratic elections since the 1930s, adopted a declaration restoring independence that included a transition period between autonomy within the Soviet Union and full independence. In January 1991, however, pro-communist political forces attempted to restore Soviet power with the use of force. Latvian demonstrators managed to stop the Soviet troops from re-occupying strategic positions (January 1991 events in Latvia). On August 21, after unsuccessful attempt at a coup d'état in Moscow, parliament voted for an end to the transition period, thus restoring Latvia's pre-war independence. On September 6, 1991 Latvian independence was once again recognized by the Soviet Union.
Liberalism in Latvia
Liberalism in Latvia was a small but important force since 1922 in Latvia. The current regained position after the re-independence of 1990. Nowadays the Latvian Way ("Latvijas Ceļš", member LI, ELDR) is a right of center market liberal party. Currently the party has merged with the Latvia's First Party to form LPP/LC.
Latvian Provisional National Council
More importantly, on November 19 session National Council adopted two resolutions. The first one was addressed to the "Russian revolutionary democracy" and proclaimed unification of all Latvian inhabited lands. This meant that Latgale is to be united with the Latvian inhabited lands of Governorate of Livonia and Courland Governorate. The second one was addressed to "foreign countries and nations" proclaiming Latvia's autonomy. "Latvia, which includes Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Latgale is an autonomous state unit, its internal and external system will be decided by its Constitutional Assembly and a popular plebiscite."
National Alliance (Latvia)
The National Alliance, officially the National Alliance "All For Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" (), abbreviated to NA, is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Latvia. With sixteen seats in the Saeima, the National Alliance is the fourth-largest party in the national parliament. The party is a coalition of conservatives, Latvian ethnonationalists, and economic liberals.
Raimonds Vējonis
He was elected as President of Latvia on 3 June 2015, receiving the votes of 55 of the 100 members of the Saeima. He used his victory speech to promise to ensure national security, in light of events in Ukraine, while protecting the environment. He became the first head of state in the European Union to be a member of a green party. After seven parties were elected to Saeima following the 2018 Latvian parliamentary election and representatives were unsuccessful in agreeing upon a new coalition, Vējonis was called on to nominate a candidate for Prime Minister of Latvia himself. After his first choice of Jānis Bordans from New Conservative Party was rejected by possible coalition partners, Vējonis then nominated Aldis Gobzems of Who owns the state? on November 26, 2018 and gave him a two week deadline to form a government.
For Latvia from the Heart
For Latvia from the Heart () is a conservative political party in Latvia founded in May 2014 by former State Auditor Inguna Sudraba.
State continuity of the Baltic states
Latvia, together with the other Baltic States, lost its independence in 1940 in the aftermath of the partition of Europe between Germany and the USSR agreed by Adolf Hitler's Germany and Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union by way of the secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, an agreement contrary to the generally recognised principles of international law. The ensuing annexation of Latvia by the Soviet Union was orchestrated and conducted under the authority of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the Communist Party of Latvia (CPL) being a satellite branch of the CPSU.
Social Democratic Party &quot;Harmony&quot;
The chairman of the party, Nils Ušakovs is the current Mayor of Riga and was the "Harmony" candidate for the office of Prime Minister of Latvia in 2014. In the Saeima the party has 24 out of 100 seats after polling 23% of the vote at the 2014 parliamentary election. Its parliamentary group is therefore the largest among the six groups in the Latvian Parliament, and the leading opposition group. Internationally, "Harmony" is a member of the Progressive Alliance and the Party of European Socialists. Formerly, its sole MEP Andrejs Mamikins sat in the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament. He defected to the Latvian Russian Union in 2018 and the party is since then unrepresented in the European Parliament.
Constitution of Latvia
On 15 May 1934 Latvian coup d'état led by Kārlis Ulmanis took place; the subsequent cabinet of Ulmanis passed a declaration that gave the functions of parliament to the Cabinet of Ministers until a new constitution was to be drafted, which never happened. In 1940 Latvian SSR was established by occupying Soviet Union forces and a parliament called the "People's Saeima of Latvia" was elected. The legality of this parliament and its decisions is questioned–Soviets considered that the constitution was nullified by Ulmanis' coup d'état, so the People's Saeima never formally annulled it. However, Latvian lawyers and historians observe that the constitution was still in effect, since Ulmanis' declaration only assigned the functions of the Saeima to the cabinet and did not cancel any part of the constitution, and that the People's Saeima was elected in accordance with the constitution of Russian SFSR, not in accordance with that of Latvia, and thus it had no legal rights to legislate, and by declaring accession to the Soviet Union, it broke the first article of the Satversme.
State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia
After the take-over of the largest part of the territory of Latvia by the Bolsheviks in the first half of 1919 the Soviet government created a Soviet-type control institutionthe National Audit and Control commissariatwhich lasted until mid-1920. The National Commissariat consisted of 11 head commissioners with and few department heads without voting rights. The alias of the State Controller in this ‘puppet government’ might be considered the National Audit Commissioner Augusts Sukuts.
Media of Latvia
On 8 November 2016 the government adopted Latvia’s Media Policy Guidelines for 2016–2020 and the accompanying action plan. These are the first media policy planning documents in Latvia. The media authority in Latvia is The National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEMMC), but the body regulates only the public service media (PSM) and the commercial broadcasting. The media authority has the right to impose sanctions on these media organizations. Although the NEMMC holds the right to regulate plurality of media ownership through the distribution of the licenses to commercial broadcasting services, there is no regulation in terms of giving up licenses/activities in other media sectors, nor the obligation to allocate windows for third-party programming, or of divestiture. The commercial media do have self-regulatory mechanisms (both codes of ethics or conduct and monitoring systems) but their effectiveness is put into question in cases of non-compliance with the rules.
Politics of Latvia
Both of the referenda failed, but the country entered into the worst political crisis since the independence from the Soviet Union, together with the economic situation severely deteriorating, due to the world financial crisis. The popularity of the governing parties melted and was below the parliamentary threshold. By the end of 2008, parties had a hard time agreeing on further budget cuts, (mainly in the social sphere) the planned reorganization of the government, and layoffs.
Saeima
The Saeima () is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years, normally on the first Saturday of October. The most recent elections were held in October 2018.
State continuity of the Baltic states
Following the Soviet period, "On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia" was adopted on 4 May 1990. It was to restore the authority of the Constitution of 1922, except for a few provisions, and provided for the restoration of independence through negotiations with the Soviet Union. Constitutional law "On statehood of the Republic of Latvia" declaring immediate restoration of full independence was adopted on 21 August 1991. The fifth parliament was elected in 1993, which restored the Constitution of 1922, and upheld the legal continuity of the Republic of Latvia.
2008 Latvian financial crisis
On concerns of bankruptcy, Standard & Poors subsequently downgraded Latvia's credit rating to non-investment grade BB+, or "junk", its worst ever rating. Its rating was put on negative outlook, which indicates a possible further cut. On February 20 the Latvian coalition government headed by Prime Minister of Latvia Ivars Godmanis collapsed.
List of companies of Latvia
Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. Latvia is a democratic and developed country and member of the European Union, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, CBSS, the IMF, NB8, NIB, OECD, OSCE, and WTO. For 2014, Latvia was listed 46th on the Human Development Index and as a high income country on 1 July 2014. It used the Latvian lats as its currency until it was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014.
Latvian National Guard
The National Guard was established in August 23, 1991 by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia as a voluntary public military self-defense organization. Its roots can be traced to the pre-World War II Aizsargi organization. It is the largest NAF structure in terms of numbers. The National Guard has always played an essential role in the national defense system by allowing the public to be involved in national defense. A number of National Guard battalions have been transformed into high-readiness reserve forces, which can be deployed immediately on international military operations.
Riga
Riga (; , ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 637,827 inhabitants (2018), it is also the largest city in the three Baltic states, home to one third of Latvia's population and one tenth of the three Baltic states' combined population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
Politics of Latvia
On 13 January 2009, there were severe riots in Riga, with protesters attacking the building of the parliament. The President Valdis Zatlers gave an ultimatum to parties, saying that should they not agree on constitutional amendments about the dissolution of the Saeima, he would dissolve the parliament by the end of March. After background talks and a failed vote of no confidence, PM Ivars Godmanis chose to resign in late February. On the 26 February, Zatlers nominated the candidate of New Era Party, MEP Valdis Dombrovskis to the post of prime minister. After talks, on 4 March 2009 five parties confirmed their participation in the coalition: New Era, People's Party, Union of Greens and Peasants, For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK, and Civic Union.
Outline of Latvia
Latvia – sovereign country located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Latvia is bordered to the north by Estonia (343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), and to the east both by Belarus (141 km) and the Russian Federation (276 km). Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers 64,589 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.
Language policy in Latvia
The Electronic Mass Media Law orders to use only Latvian language in the first channels of public radio and television, and basically Latvian language in their second channels (Section 66).
The government of Latvia in its policy documents refers to Latvia as a (democratic) nation state, constructing societal integration on the basis of the Latvian language, while respecting the diversity of languages. Unity block, comprising most of the governing coalition as of 2011, also describes Latvia as a nation state. The idea of the nation state, where "language = nation", is seen as the core and main engine of the language policy of the Latvian state. Critics draw parallels between measures of the Latvian government and the assimilation of linguistic minorities in various countries.
On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia
Article 6 shall be applied when the governmental institutions of independent Latvia have been restored, which grant free elections.
5. To set a period of transition to de facto independence until the first session of the new Saeima. During the transitional period the highest power of the state shall be the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia.
6. During the transitional period the Constitution of the Latvian SSR and other laws of the Latvian SSR in force at the time when the declaration was made may be applicable as long as they do not contradict articles 1, 2, 3 and 6 of the Constitution of Latvia. Disputes over the applicability of laws shall be resolved by the Constitutional Court. During the transitional period laws shall be made or amended only by the Supreme Council.
7. To constitute a committee, which will elaborate a new edition of the Constitution of Latvia, suitable to the current political, economic and social state of Latvia.
8. In accordance with international human rights, to grant social, economic and cultural rights, as well as political freedoms, to the citizens of Latvia and other countries, who reside in the territory of Latvia. This shall fully apply to those citizens of the Soviet Union who chose to reside in Latvia without its citizenship.
9. To build Latvian-Soviet relationships upon the Latvian-Soviet peace treaty of 11 August 1920, in which the Soviet Union recognizes eternal independence for Latvia and which is still in force. To constitute a committee for negotiations with USSR.
Latvian Development
For Latvia's Development () (LA) is a classical liberal political party in Latvia. The party is one of the members of the Development/For! alliance. The party was founded in 2013 by Einars Repše who was Prime Minister of Latvia between 2002 and 2004 and Minister of Finance between 2009 and 2010. Internationally the party is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, a grouping of centrist and liberal parties from across Europe.
Laimdota Straujuma
Laimdota Straujuma (born 24 February 1951) is a Latvian economist who was the Prime Minister of Latvia from January 2014 to February 2016. Before her tenure as Prime Minister, she served as Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2014. She was the first woman to serve as the head of government of the country. After her resignation on 7 December 2015 she announced her intention to resume a seat in the Saeima.
Abrene County
The Latvian constitution stipulates that the borders of the Republic are set by international treaties, and the government considers the 1920 Treaty of Rīga to be still in force. The May 4th, 1990 declaration of independence (reinstating the 1920 constitution subject to a transitional period) by the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR affirmed that the restored Republic of Latvia would base its relations with the Russian Federation on the treaty principle. In January 1991, the Russian Federation (while still in the USSR) and Latvia signed a document regulating their bilateral relations. The Latvian delegation attempted to include a reference to the 1920 treaty but the Russian delegation objected. In essence, Russia views Latvia as a newly-independent country and consistently refuses to acknowledge that Latvia was occupied and illegally incorporated into the USSR, while Latvia insists upon the legal continuity of Latvian state occupied in 1940. Key players in post-war politics in the West never recognised or at least questioned the legality of the incorporation of Latvia into the USSR, but there is pressure on both countries to resolve the issue. This can be seen on the example of their attitude towards events from the beginning of the 20th century in Latvia. Thus, the European Community, for example, did not use the term "recognition" but referred to "the "restoration" of sovereignty and independence" when restoring diplomatic relations in 1991; the USA to "the culmination of the USA’s 52 year refusal to accept the forcible incorporation of the independent Baltic States by the USSR". (See, for example, Roland Rich's paper for the Symposium on Recent Developments in State Recognition.). Pressure on the RF includes the need for Russia to have a border agreement in order to pursue a less draconian visa policy from the EU.
Local government
Latvia is a unitary state, currently divided into 110 municipalities () and 9 republican cities () with their own council.
State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia
The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia (SAO: ) is a public auditing body overseeing the finances of national and local government in Latvia. It was first created in 1918, and re-established in 1992 when Latvia again became independent.
According to the Constitution and the Law of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia, is an independent collegial institutional body in the Republic of Latvia and is subject only to the Law. Its task is to monitor the state and local government funds for legitimate, effective and efficient use of conducting audits in accordance with International Standards on Auditing.
Social Democratic Party &quot;Harmony&quot;
"Harmony" is currently the governing party on the Riga City Council in coalition with Honor to serve Riga, the successor to the centre-right Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way which dissolved in 2011. "Harmony" is the largest party seeking to represent the Russian-speaking population of Latvia.
On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia
After establishing that the Republic of Latvia "de jure" is a sovereign country and that by the will of its people it should be independent, the Supreme Soviet ruled:
1. To recognize the priority of international laws over national laws. To hold to be illegitimate the treaty between the USSR and Germany of 23 August 1939, and the consequent liquidation of independence of Latvia resulting from Soviet military aggression on 17 June 1940.
2. To proclaim the declaration "On accession of Latvia to Soviet Union" of 21 July 1940, to be void from the moment of adoption.
3. To re-establish the authority of the Constitution of Latvia. The official name of the state of Latvia is the Republic of Latvia, in short Latvia.
4. To suspend the Constitution of Latvia until a new edition is adopted, except for the articles, which in accordance with the 77 article of the Constitution can only be amended if submitted to a national referendum:
Police corruption
Latvia is a relatively new Member state of the European Union, having only joined in 2004. A recent survey found that people in new member state countries, especially Latvia, agree that bribery is the easiest way of obtaining certain public services than those in the original EU states. In 1998, a survey posed the following question to Latvian households: "A system whereby people could anonymously report instances of corruption would not be successful because corruption is a natural part of our lives and helps solve many problems". Only 37% of respondents disagreed with the statement. Additionally, Latvia has one of the lowest reporting rates for corruption in the EU, and most Latvians do not believe the government's anti-corruption efforts are likely to be successful.
Latvian Football Federation
The Latvian Football Federation (LFF) () is the governing body of football in Latvia with its headquarters located in the capital Elektrum Sports Center in Riga. Its activities include the organizing of the Latvian football championship (SMScredit.lv Virslīga), Komanda.lv First League and Latvian Second League as well as lower league championships and the Latvian Football Cup. The federation also manages the Latvia national football team.
2010 Latvian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 2 October 2010. It was the first parliamentary election to be held in Latvia since the beginning of the economic crisis during which Latvia had experienced one of the deepest recessions in the world.
Human rights in Latvia
Human rights in Latvia are generally respected by the government, according to the US Department of State and Freedom House. Latvia is ranked above-average among the world's sovereign states in democracy, press freedom, privacy and human development. The country has a large ethnic Russian community, which has basic rights guaranteed under the constitution and international human rights laws ratified by the Latvian government.
History of Latvia
Liberalization in the communist regime began in the mid-1980s in the USSR with the perestroika and glasnost instituted by Mikhail Gorbachev. In Latvia, several mass political organizations were constituted that made use of this opportunity – Popular Front of Latvia (Tautas Fronte), Latvian National Independence Movement (Latvijas Nacionālās Neatkarības Kustība) and Citizens' Congress (Pilsoņu kongress). These groups began to agitate for the restoration of national independence.
Solvita Āboltiņa
She is the leader of Unity, Latvia's largest centre-right party and partner in the current coalition government. Despite being the leader of the largest governing party, she has never been the Prime Minister of Latvia. She has been a deputy of the Saeima since November 7, 2006. In November 2014 after a parliamentary election she was replaced as the speaker and appointed chairwoman of the National Security Committee of the Saeima. She caused controversy after being 'struck off' the Unity list of candidates by electors at the 2014 election. Such an outcome is possible for any candidate under Latvia's method of proportional representation. As a result, she was not returned as a member of the Saeima and elected Unity member Jānis Junkurs forfeited his mandate to allow the party President to continue to sit in parliament.
List of airports in Latvia
Latvia (), officially the Republic of Latvia ("Latvijas Republika"), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia, to the south by Lithuania, to the east by the Russian Federation, and to the southeast by Belarus. Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden. The capital of Latvia is Riga. The local time is GMT+2 (GMT+3 DST).