All over the world, Latvian citizens can vote to make Russian a second national language. The poll organisers have to collect 155,000 signatures before November 30.

      In the words of Andrei Neronsky, Director of the Centre of Russian Culture in Latvia, the first 12,000 signatures came in a flash, and subsequently nearly another 12,000 have been added. Latvians living outside Latvia can vote in the consulates and embassies. However, it is primarily Russian-speaking citizens who support the idea.

      Meanwhile, Russian is the native language for one third of Latvian population. According to 2011 data, 606,972 Russians (27.3%) live in this Baltic state. The issues of citizenship and language have long been very painful for both Russians and Latvians since the demise of the Soviet Union. Vladislavs Volkovs expands on the state of Russian population in Latvia from 1918 to nowadays.

      Source: TV Centre, Wikipedia, The Latvian Institute. Image courtesy: Expatica.