• Newspapers report about the provisional results of elections to the EU Parliament in Latvia
• Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee completed the work on the draft Introduction to Constitution 

Newspapers report about the provisional results of elections to the EU Parliament in Latvia. According to exit-polls, the leading ruling party Unity received 31% of the votes (provisionally – 4 (half of the seats allocated to Latvia)), Concord Centre – 13%, All for Latvia! For Fatherland and Freedom / Latvian National Independence Movement – 12%, Union of Green and Farmers – 6%, Latvia's Russian Union – 6% (provisionally – 1 seat each), while other parties did not overcome the threshold. Altogether, 30% of the eligible voters participated in the elections to the EU Parliament in Latvia. Diena, NRA, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya 

Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee completed the work on the draft Introduction to Constitution (Preamble) before submitting it to the Parliament for the final reading. The suggestion to revert the term "state nation" was rejected, because the term "ethnic Latvian nation" was already introduced in its place. The author of the Introduction to the Constitution Egils Levits called the politicians to use this term more often, in order to promote its understanding in the society. The Parliament will consider the draft on 5 June 2014. Latvijas Avize

• Congress of Ukrainians in Latvia asks the Minister of Justice to ban political party the Union of Russians in Latvia
• Latvijas Avize: deputies of all Saeima’s factions believes a study about the mood of Russian speaking residents in Latvia should be publicly available

One of the Ukrainian NGOs in Latvia - the Congress of Ukrainians in Latvia appealed to the Minister of Justice Baiba Broka, asking to ban political party the Union of Russians in Latvia. The Congress of Ukrainians alleges that the leader of the Union of Russians in Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka committed several activities against independence of Latvian state.

According to Latvijas Avize, deputies of all Saeima’s factions believes that results of a study about the mood of Russian speaking residents in Latvia commissioned by the government should be publicly available. Newspapers reported that the government commissioned a secret study and may not publish all its results arguing that it is related to state security. In an interview with the newspaper, head of the Saeima’s National Security Committee Valdis Zatlers (Reforms Party) who took part in the government’s session which took the decision to commission the study, denies that it was categorised as "secret"; however, Mr Zatlers also does not say who will conduct the study and how much will it cost. The MP Karlis Serzants (Union of Greens and Farmers) says that there is no reason to make such study a secret because it would raise tension in the society and doubt the results. The MP Janis Dombrava (nationalists’ union) assumes that the government is afraid that the results of the study may reveal unpleasant truth about disloyal residents and therefore wants to keep the study secret.

• Concord Centre sent an inquiry to the Prime Minister asking to explain why the planned study on attitude of Russian speaking residents in Latvia is kept in secret
• During 10 years of EU membership, Latvia received 33 recommendations to soften language legislation
• 3,300 persons received dual citizenship with Latvia since 1 October 2013
• Congress of Non-Citizens complained to the Secretary General of the NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen about the Annual Report 2013 of the Security Police.
• Latvijas Avize reports about a discussion organised by the Congress of Non-Citizens

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Saeima’s faction of the Concord Centre has sent an inquiry to the Prime Minister asking to explain why the planned study on attitude of Russian speaking residents in Latvia is kept in secret. According to the head of the faction, MP Valerijs Agesins, there is department of society integration at the Ministry of Culture and it should have conducted such research a while ago. The Saeima’s Vice Speaker Inese Libina-Egnera (Reforms Party), in her turn, believes that if the content and conclusions of the study are connected with the issue of national security it’s customer (the government) can take the decision whether the results will be available publicly or not.

Latvian Human Rights Committee compiled a list of all 33 recommendations to soften language legislation given by various international organisations to Latvia since entry into the European Union. According to Aleksandrs Kuzmins, the number of language examinations at workplaces, the number of administrative cases and fines by the State Language Centre has grown by 29-42% during the last two years; most language examinations were motivated by anonymous accusations yet the language inspectors do not investigate whether the alleged violations indeed taken place. Vesti Segodnya

3,300 persons received dual citizenship with Latvia since 1 October 2013 when the legal provisions allowing dual citizenship came into force. 2,400 of those are children of Latvian citizens who were born abroad, 626 – exiles who reside in U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Israel and Russia. Latvijas Avize

The Congress of Non-Citizens sent a letter to Secretary General of the NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen complaining about the Annual Report 2013 of the Security Police. As reported, the Security Police in its report announced that the Congress of Non-Citizens and its activists pose major threat for Latvian state alleging that they are one of the most active supporters of the Russia’s policy on compatriots in Latvia. In the appeal to the Secretary General Mr. Fogh Rasmussen, the Congress says that the Security Police interprets as "threats" activities by the Congress like criticism of the government, protection of ethnic minorities’ rights, maintaining contacts with the UN, European Commission, and embassies of western countries.Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize reports about a discussion organised by the Congress of Non-Citizens. In the framework of the discussion, as one of the new integration instruments it was proposed to establish the day of society consolidation. It was also proposed to conduct an action similar to the protest action against sexism when girls are dressed as boys and boys as girls. In such action ethnic Latvians would speak Russian and Russians would speak Latvian – or representative of different ethnic belonging would swap places.

• Saeima’s Legal Committee refused a proposal of the nationalists’ union to return a notion “state nation” in to the draft Introduction to the Constitution of Latvia
• Congress of Non-Citizens announced that the U.S. Embassy supports its democratic initiatives

The Saeima’s Legal Committee refused a proposal of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM to return a notion “state nation” in to the draft Introduction to the Constitution of Latvia. As reported, the first draft of the Introduction or Preamble to the Constitution contained the notion “state nation” which referred to ethnic Latvians, but later, following critical reaction from experts and representatives of ethnic minorities the notion was removed from the text. The author of the Introduction Egils Levits also called to use actively the notion “state nation” not in the text of the Introduction but in public life.

According to the Congress of Non-Citizens, it has received a letter from the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Mark Pekala in which the U.S. Embassy expresses its support to the democratic initiatives of the Congress. Representative of the Embassy in an interview with Latvijas Avize explained that the letter was a reply on an appeal from the Congress of Non-Citizens. Representatives of the Embassy also have met with representatives of the Congress several times and will continue such meetings in future. The U.S. Embassy stressed that it conducts meetings with representatives of civil society in Latvia on a regular basis because an open dialogue is very important component of a democratic process in free and open society.

• Newspapers report about the Annual Report 2013 of the Security Police
• Establisher of the Movement of European Russians in Latvia Igors Vatolins: Russia needs to hear from Russian residents in Latvia than they do not want to be rescued
• Neatkariga reports on the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee discussion on how to improve Latvian language proficiency of ethnic non-Latvians
• 171 persons applied for asylum in Latvia in 2013

Newspapers report about the Annual Report 2013 of the Security Police (SP). The report emphasizes interest of Russia’s security services in Latvia. According to the SP, Russia’s security services use so-called organisations of Russian compatriots and representatives of Russian diaspora in Latvia in order to discredit Latvian state. The report mentions specific organisations and persons such as the Congress of Non-Citizens and its activists Aleksandrs Gaponenko, Elizabete Krivcova, Jelena Bacinska, the Latvian council of non-governmental organisations headed by Viktors Guscins, organisation For Native Langauge and its leader Vladimirs Lindermans, the Russian Dawn and its leaders Illarions Girs and Jevgenijs Osipovs, activists of anti-fascist organisation World without Nazism Josifs Korens and Valerijs Engels, and others. The SP considers that these and other persons have a task to discredit Latvia and to strengthen Russia’s influence in Latvia. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

Neatkariga prints an interview with well-known journalist, establisher of the Movement of European Russians in Latvia Igors Vatolins. Mr Vatolins says that the Movement was established in order to show Russia and its President Vladimir Putin that Russians in Latvia do not need to be rescued and that they will solve their problems on their own. Mr Vatolins believes that it is especially important that such opinion comes from Russian speaking residents so as to prevent them being used as a resource for Russia’s policy and possible actions in Latvia. Mr Vatolins believes that further actions by Russia’s President are unpredictable and no one knows if the Baltic States will become the next step after Crimea. According to him, there is a variety of opinions among Russian speakers in Latvia and current tendencies show that radicals have very small support but they are visible because they loudly express their opinion. Mr Vatolins also advices the politicians not to raise the issue on transition of education in ethnic minority schools almost completely into Latvian language because it is very sensitive issue which may raise tensions.

Neatkariga reports on the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee discussion on how to improve Latvian language proficiency of ethnic non-Latvians. It was stressed that an important factor is a teachers’ personality of in ethnic monitory school and teachers’ ability to motivate students to learn Latvian language and respect the state. The Minister of Education Ina Druviete believes that introduction of state language learning in kindergartens would help to improve language proficiency and usage. The Minister believes that after age of five children should study Latvian every day. The Minister also proposes to evaluate merge of education establishments because it is wrong that ethnic Latvian and non-Latvian children study separately.

171 persons applied for asylum in Latvia in 2013. 133 of asylum seekers were Georgians. 190 persons applied for asylum in 2012, and 351 in 2011. Vesti Segodnya