[lg policy] Riga: Tension surrounds Latvian vote on Russian as 2nd language

[Harold Schiffman]

Tension surrounds Latvian vote on Russian as 2nd language

By Olga Dragileva - Special to The Washington Times

Thursday, February 16, 2012



RIGA, LATVIA— A referendum Saturday on designating Russian as Latvia’s
second official language has drawn supporters who say it is a protest
vote against discrimination against Russian Latvians and detractors
who say it is evidence of Moscow’s manipulation of the former Soviet
republic. For Latvians who balk at incorporating Russian into Latvia’s
constitution, the referendum is a chance to reassert the Baltic
country’s independence from Russia.

But for ethnic Russians, some of whom have lived here for 20 years or
longer, Saturday’s vote is a chance to win rights long denied
immigrants under Latvia’s citizenship law. Ethnic Russians account for
nearly 28 percent of Latvia’s 2.2 million people. Jurij Osipov, a
member of the group Mother Tongue, which initiated the referendum,
says it collected 180,000 signatures in favor of adopting Russian as a
second official language. The group’s demand is symbolic - a protest
against policies that discriminate against ethnic Russians and “to
start a discussion on human rights,” he said.

Latvia’s citizenship law was adopted in the mid-1990s after the
collapse of the Soviet Union. It granted citizenship only to ethnic
and non-ethnic Latvians who had been living in the country before the
Soviet occupation of 1940. Immigrants during the Soviet era, which
ended in 1991, have not been granted citizenship and are denied some
civic rights, including the right to vote.

“Hundreds of thousands of Latvia’s Russians feel neglected as ruling
politicians demonstrated that they wanted an ethnically Latvian
government,” said Riga Mayor Nil Ushakov, chairman of the opposition
party Harmony Center. “Russians do not want Russian as a state
language. They just want to demand some respect.” Harmony Center,
widely viewed as the Russian-speakers’ political party, strongly
supports the referendum. The party finished first in last year’s
elections, with 30 percent of the vote.

Yet it was left out of the ruling coalition when other parties formed
a parliamentary majority. Party leaders cite the move as anti-Russian
discrimination. “We are Russians, and we live here, too. I have lived
here for 30 years, and I have no rights whatsoever,” said Valentina,
50, a businesswoman in Riga, Latvia’s capital.

Regional analysts note that Latvia alone of the Baltic nations, which
include Estonia and Lithuania, struggles with this issue these days.

“Latvia’s always been the most exposed and more susceptible,” said
Alex Pravda, who specializes in Russian foreign policy at the London
think tank Chatham House.

“Estonia is much better off and is much more linked with Finland and
its European allies. [Estonia] is the one [Baltic state] with a
comparable number of Russians, but it’s always handled it much better
because economically it’s always had better prospects.”

Lithuania does not have a large Russian community, Mr. Pravda said.

Latvia’s ruling parties, meanwhile, have issued an official statement
in support of a single official language. They are encouraging voters
to participate in the referendum and deny Russian inclusion.

Latvian President Andris Berzins recently announced he would vote
against the referendum, which some politicians suspect has been
orchestrated by the Kremlin.

“The whole thing is related to state Duma and presidential elections
in Russia. In order to win, the ruling party needs to create an enemy
abroad so that there is something to unite against,” said lawmaker
Dzintars Rasnacs of the nationalist National Alliance party.

He said Russia has chosen Latvia as that country, which is presented
as a place where Russian speakers are discriminated against.

Referendum supporters deny claims of Kremlin involvement.

“There is a medical term for this, and it’s paranoia,” Mr. Osipov
said. “We live off donations, and our funding is completely
transparent. These are just conspiracy theories. Some people always
want to find someone to blame, be it Jews, Russians or the Kremlin.”

The referendum will need about 800,000 votes to pass. About 600,000
Latvians identify themselves as ethnic Russian, according to a recent
census.

Some analysts see the referendum as a tool for the political parties
to boost their popularity.

“During the 20 years of Latvia’s independence, our political elite
were very eager to bring up painful subjects,” said Ivars Ijabs,
assistant professor at the University of Latvia. “Today they are doing
it again.

“Language is an identity question for ethnic Latvians. It’s painful,
and these days, some people feel alarmed.”

c Louise Osborne in Berlin contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/16/tension-surrounds-latvian-vote-on-russian-as-2nd-l/?page=all#pagebreak

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents.
Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal,
and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message.
 A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well.  (H. Schiffman,
Moderator)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************

_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list