A possible referendum in Latvia on whether to make Russian a second state language is a “deliberate incitement,” Latvian President Andris Berzins said on Tuesday.
“Some political groups are currently using the media to turn the issue of the referendum into the main event in Latvia. I cannot and do not want to agree with such a stance as the referendum is a deliberate incitement and its result will not settle any of the important problems for the nation,” Berzins told journalists.
Russian-speakers make up 44% of Latvia's 2.3-million population. Latvian is the official state language and Russian is treated as a foreign language.
Latvia’s Central Election Commission gathered signatures last November for a petition to hold a nationwide referendum on granting Russian official-language status.
Over 187,000 eligible voters signed the petition, well above the minimum requirement of 154,379 signatures. The referendum will go ahead if the Latvian Constitutional Court does not prohibit it.
Berzins’ predecessor, Valdis Zatlers, has not been opposed to a referendum. If one is held, he urged Latvian citizens to vote against making Russian a second state language.
“Having the majority of the referendum participants vote against this initiative is the way to demonstrate that Latvian has always been the only language in Latvia,” the former president said.
Last month President Berzins introduced a draft law to the parliament that envisioned amendments to the Constitution introducing a second state language in the country. Lawmakers rejected the measure.
