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.

Press Report

President Vaira Vike-Freiberega will meet with representatives from the Saeima factions today to discuss the possibilities for amendments to Saeima and municipal election laws, requesting that the restriction on a state language requirement for deputy candidates at the highest level be stricken. The president said last week that a task force of experts, which evaluated the above requirement on candidates, said today that the requirement is undemocratic and contradicts the Constitution and international conventions that Latvia has signed.

President Vaira Vike-Freiberega will meet with representatives from the Saeima factions today to discuss the possibilities for amendments to Saeima and municipal election laws, requesting that the restriction on a state language requirement for deputy candidates at the highest level be stricken. The president said last week that a task force of experts, which evaluated the above requirement on candidates, said today that the requirement is undemocratic and contradicts the Constitution and international conventions that Latvia has signed. LETA,

Telegraf writes - politicians themselves say that they are not going to change their position, and it seems that with the current Saeima the President will have more opponents than supporters.

Telegraf writes - politicians themselves say that they are not going to change their position, and it seems that with the current Saeima the President will have more opponents than supporters.

Daugavpils Mayor Rihards Eigims has decided to participate in Saeima elections and become a deputy. Eigims says in an interview to the newspaper "Vesti Segodnya" today: "The example with "Latvijas gaze" is didactic. This is why I will definitely run for Saeima elections along with my team - at least to tell such monopolies as "Latvijas gaze", please, observe interests of Latvia's people".

Daugavpils Mayor Rihards Eigims has decided to participate in Saeima elections and become a deputy. Eigims says in an interview to the newspaper "Vesti Segodnya" today: "The example with "Latvijas gaze" is didactic. This is why I will definitely run for Saeima elections along with my team - at least to tell such monopolies as "Latvijas gaze", please, observe interests of Latvia's people". LETA, Diena, Neatkariga

Last year Latvian death rate was the highest in Europe and the Baltic States also came in last by birth rate, according to the European Commission survey covering 31 countries. Latvia's population fell by 14,600 over the year from 2,366,100 on Jan. 1, 2001, to 2,351,500 early this year. Estonia's population shrank 58,000 to 1,360,900 at the beginning of 2002, and the same was also true about Lithuania that saw its population reduce from 3,692,600 in early 2001 to 3,680,700 early this year.

Last year Latvian death rate was the highest in Europe and the Baltic States also came in last by birth rate, according to the European Commission survey covering 31 countries. Latvia's population fell by 14,600 over the year from 2,366,100 on Jan. 1, 2001, to 2,351,500 early this year. Estonia's population shrank 58,000 to 1,360,900 at the beginning of 2002, and the same was also true about Lithuania that saw its population reduce from 3,692,600 in early 2001 to 3,680,700 early this year. BNS, Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya

Newspaper

Vesti Segodnya interviewed Latvian MPs about the statement of NATO Deputy Secretary General G.Altenburg that on eof the most important preconditions for inviting Latvia to NATO would be a stable situation here and no contradictions between Latvians and Russian minority. V.Paegle (Peoples Party) thinks that during the last years Latvian authorities have managed to stop all human rights violations, also concerning national minority rights. And foreign experts have acknowledged this. Ms.Paegle herself has not observed any sharp contradictions among Latvians and Russians. M.Bekasov (For Human Rights in United Latvia) states that contradictions between these two parts of Latvian population exist. And they will vanish only when authorities will stop moral raping of national minorities. If the authorities observed the Common Human Rights Declaration there would be no national, language, nor any other contradictions.

MP Cilevich writes about the initiative of Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga concerning amending the election law. For many years opposition has spoken about non-compliance of local language legislation to international standards, but only after the lost Ignatane case at the UN Human Rights Committee and almost lost Podkolzina case in Strasbourg Court, the world just realised the real situation. OSCE and NATO loudly and directly demanded to abolish the language proficiency norm for deputy candidates, and on 6 December, 2001 President Vaira Vike-Freiberga addressed two existing problems in this field – language proficiency norm and distortion of spelling of foreign names and surnames. When some activities started, the presidential initiative was reduced just to the proficiency norm. Vesti Segodnya

Newspaper

Panorama Latvii published an open letter of the Republican Centre of the party Equality to the Prime Minister A.Berzins concerning his statements about the possible activities of Equality leader T.Zhdanok if she were elected the head of Riga City Council Privatisation Committee.