Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

• Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs: party For Native Language is a “project” formed by the security services and the Unity
• Saeima partly ratified the European Social Charter

The party For Native Language (FNL) proposed the Concord Centre (CC) to run for the municipal election in Riga within one list.  The Mayor of Riga and the leader of the Concord Centre Nils Usakovs in response to the proposal stated that the FNL is a “project” formed by the security services and the Unity with an aim to deprive the CC some votes of electors in Riga. Potentially, some part of the CC voters might switch to support the FNL, thus taking votes from the CC which are important in order to receive more than 50% of all votes and to remain the governing party in Riga. According to sociologists, it is unlikely that the FNL will gather enough votes to overcome the 4.5% threshold in order to receive a seat in the City Council, and therefore, these votes would be split between both the Concord Centre and the Unity. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

Yesterday, the Saeima partly ratified the European Social Charter. Ratification of the Charter makes a number of its articles which guarantees social and economic human rights binding to Latvia. However, the Saeima only partly ratified some of the articles. For instance, the Parliament did not ratify the provision which stipulates that all workers have the right to a fair remuneration sufficient for a decent standard of living for themselves and their families. The Saeima refused also to ratify the article 23 on right of every elderly person to social protection supported only by the oppositional parties.  Vesti Segodnya