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.

• Ex-MP, lawyer Juris Sokolovskis: Egils Levits with his ideas of the Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia is like an inventor of atomic bomb
• Latvijas Avize reports about a news story on a Swedish Radio telling about the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia
• Concord Centre remains the most popular political party in Latvia

 

Vesti Segodnya publishes opinion of ex-MP, lawyer Juris Sokolovskis regarding the ideas for the draft Preamble to the Constitution proposed by the Head of the President’s Commission on Constitutional Law Egils Levits. According to Mr Sokolovskis, Mr Levits ignores that his elaborated Preamble will provoke negative reaction regarding ethnic minorities in Latvia arguing that there is an article in the Constitution about protection of ethnic minorities and international conventions for protection of human rights. Mr Soklovskis believes that such Mr Levits’ approach reminds of an inventor of atomic bomb – he is just interested in its invention but after it is dropped on people he will say – it wasn’t me but politicians. 

 

Latvijas Avize reports about a news story on a Swedish Radio telling about the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia. According to the newspaper, the Swedish radio asked for the opinion of a PhD student of theUniversity ofLatvia Olga Procevska who said that the ideas of the Preamble look like ideas of the era before the Holocaust as it defines that the state belongs to a certain ethnic group. The other interviewed person – a Latvian lawyer Lauris Liepa explained thatLatvia is the only place in the world where ethnic Latvians can speak their language, promote culture and do what other nation in the world do. A Latvian journalist living in Sweden Sandra Veinberga criticizes such news story considering that it is biased and wrongly evaluates the Preamble and calls Latvian Embassy inSweden to voice its critics about it explaining situation inLatvia. 

 

The Concord Centre remains the most popular political party in Latvia – according to a public opinion survey conducted by Latvijas Fakti, it is supported by 24,3% of residents. The Unity is supported by 14,4%, the Union of Greens and Farmers by 9,4%, the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM by 6,5%. The Reforms Party is supported only by 1,8% of respondents. Vesti Segodnya