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.

• New President of Latvia – Andris Berzins
• Latvian Ambassador to the OSCE Gints Apals: it is wrong to perceive that the OSCE puts pressure on Latvia
• Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with the Ombudsman
• Riga City Council granted LVL 30,000 (EUR 42,300) for Latvian language courses

The Saeima elected Andris Berzins for the post of the new President of Latvia. Mr. Berzins was elected with 53 votes “for” and 44 votes “against”. The current President Valdis Zatlers received support of only 41 MPs. Andris Berzins is a former banker and parliament’s member. Newspapers report that, yesterday, during the President’s election in the Saeima, several hundreds of persons held a meeting near the parliament’s building protesting against “power of oligarchs” in Latvia and supporting re-election of Valdis Zatlers.

The Saeima elected Andris Berzins for the post of the new President of Latvia. Mr. Berzins was elected with 53 votes for and 44 votes against. The current President Valdis Zatlers received support of only 41 MPs. Andris Berzins is a former banker and parliaments member. Newspapers report that, yesterday, during the Presidents election in the Saeima, several hundreds of persons held a meeting near the parliaments building protesting against power of oligarchs in Latvia and supporting re-election of Valdis Zatlers. Chas, Telegraf, Vesti Segodnya, Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Latvian Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Gints Apals. According to Mr. Apals, it is wrong to perceive that the OSCE and other European structures put pressure on Latvia regarding the issue on ethnic minorities and citizenship. Mr. Apals says that the High Commissioner for National Minorities gives only recommendations to Latvia.

The Ombudsman Juris Jansons in an interview with

The Ombudsman Juris Jansons in an interview with Vesti Segodnya states that acceptance of Latvian citizenship is a personal choice of a person. Mr Jansons believes that the problem is not in the large number of non-citizens but in the fact that this issue has not been solved for years. Mr Jansons also believes that the language proficiency is integral part of professional qualifications of policemen and therefore maintains that recent dismissals of policemen on the grounds of poor language proficiency do not represent discrimination.

The Riga City Council granted LVL 30,000 (EUR 42,300) for Latvian language courses for Riga residents. The target group of the courses is residents with poor or very poor Latvian language proficiency.

The Riga City Council granted LVL 30,000 (EUR 42,300) for Latvian language courses for Riga residents. The target group of the courses is residents with poor or very poor Latvian language proficiency. Diena