Latvian constitutional referendum, 2012

  • From 100.0 to 90.0 %
  • 89.9 to 80.0 %
  • 79.9 to 70.0 %
  • 69.9 to 60.0 %
  • 59.9 to 50.0 %
  • No
  • 50.0 to 59.9 %
  • 60.0 to 69.9 %
  • 70.0 to 79.9 %
  • 80.0 to 89.9 %
  • 90.0 to 100.0 %

A referendum on the official language of Latvia ( tautas nobalsošana par likumprojektu " Grozījumi Latvijas Republikas Satversme " ) was performed on February 18, 2012. The proposed amendments in paragraphs 4, 18, 21, 101 and 104 of the Constitution had all the same content: the recognition of Russian as a second official language alongside Latvian. The additives were rejected with a voter turnout of 70 % of all voters with 75 % against, thus Latvian only official language of the country remains.

Background

According to the Census in 2000, Russian was the mother tongue of 37.5 % and second language of 43.7 % of the population of Latvia. A law of 2000 defined Russian as a "foreign language". To obtain Latvian citizenship a language test in Latvian is necessary. This also applies to the large, mostly born in the country 's Russian minority. As a result, there are in the country is about 290,000 ( March 2011 - 14.1% of all residents ) so-called non-citizens. It is predominantly Russian-speaking people who have neither Latvian nor any other citizenship. This group is, for example, also not eligible to vote and was not allowed to participate in the referendum accordingly. After Latvia's independence in 1991, only those residents who (before the Soviet occupation of the country) lived in the country before 1940, and their descendants were automatically Latvian citizenship. Everyone else had to obtain citizenship, demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the Latvian language, culture and history of the country in a naturalization test. These regulations are permanent source of conflict with neighboring Russia.

Results

Swell

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2004 • 2009 • 2014

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  • Election in Latvia
  • Election 2012
  • Language
  • Russian Language
Military occupation European Parliament election, 2009 (Latvia)
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