Integration monitor
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.
Oct. 13, 2007
- Tatyana Zdanoka: non-citizens must have voting rights in the EP elections equally with Latvian citizens
- Latvijas Avize reports that the Saeima has refused the draft amendments to the General Education Law proposed by the FHRUL
Vesti Segodnya reports that Latvia has kept 9 seats in the European Parliament (EP) distributed accordingly to total number of Latvian residents. The MEP from Latvia Tatyana Zdanoka has stated that if the seats are distributed in accordance with number of Latvian citizens Latvia would get only 7 seats because 17 % of residents are non-citizens. Therefore, Tatyana Zdanoka believes that non-citizens must have voting rights in the EP elections equally with Latvian citizens.
Latvijas Avize reports that the Saeima has refused the draft amendments to the General Education Law proposed by the oppositional party For Human Rights in United Latvia (FHRUL). The FHRUL proposed to allow keeping those classes with Russian as main language of instructions, where the number of pupils is falling below the minimum required by the state at present. Due to this requirement many classes with Russian as a main language of instruction are being closed throughout Latvia regions. The FHRUL also proposed that in lessons supposedly taught in Latvian, a teacher could explain some aspects of the material in Russian if the pupils do not understand it in the state language.