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.

• Latvijas Avize analyses failure of the political party Russian Union of Latvia
• Trade Union of Education and Science Employees: situation around Russian language schools in Latvia should not be escalated
• Political scientist Kristians Rozenvalds: Concord stays outside the coalition not because Russophobia

Latvijas Avize analyses failure of the political party Russian Union of Latvia (RUL) in the parliamentary elections. The RUL gained only 1,58% or 14,379 votes. Following such results, leader of the party Miroslafs Mitorfanovs announced that he leaves the politics.  Journalist of a Russian language newspaper Vesti Segodnya and ex-member of the Parliament of Unrepresented Jelena Sljusareva (who decided to leave the organisation arguing that it is dead organisation) believes that the failure of the RUL could be explained by the fact that its ideology has exhausted itself and it is not demanded any more. This could be clearly seen by the small number of people attending public action organised by the party. At the same time, program proposed by the Concord turned out to be closer to the Russian speaking electorate as it does not raise controversial issues between Russians and Latvians, but concentrates on issues which can unite. Jelena Slusareva also believes that people in Latvia do not want the situation in Eastern Ukraine to be repeated in Latvia.

Commenting the suggestion that the nationalists’ union may overtake the Ministry of Education and Science, head of the Trade Union of Education and Science Employees Ingrida Mikisko said that situation around Russian language schools in Latvia should not be escalated. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya interviews political scientist Kristians Rozenvalds. Mr Rozenvalds believes that the reason why the Concord is not included in the governing coalition is not Russophobic mood of the governing coalition parties but the general political set-up in which there is no place for the Concord.