Latvia

Country in northern Europe, bounded east by Russia, north by Estonia, north and northwest by the Baltic Sea, south by Lithuania, and southeast by Belarus.

Government

Latvia is a multiparty parliamentary democracy. Under its 1922 constitution, Lavtia has a 100-seat national legislature, the Saeima, which is popularly elected by proportional representation for a four-year term and which elects a president to serve as titular head of state for a similar term. Executive power is held by a prime minister, appointed by the president but drawn from the majority party or grouping within the assembly, who heads a cabinet of ministers.

History

The Vikings invaded the area now known as Latvia in the 9th century, which was ruled by pagan Baltic tribes and stood on a trading crossroads between Scandinavia and Russia. The Russians attacked in the 10th century. The invasion of the Teutonic Knights (German crusaders) in the 13th century was resisted in a lengthy struggle, but Latvia eventually came under their control in 1230, converted to Christianity, and was governed by them for more than 200 years. By 1562 Poland and Lithuania had taken over most of the country. Sweden conquered the north in 1621 and Russia took over control of this area in 1710. By 1800 all of Latvia had come under Russian control. Serfdom was abolished between 1817–19 and the country became increasingly urbanized. A Latvian nationalist movement began to emerge in the mid 19th century and grew from the 1890s.

Struggle for independence

Latvia was partly occupied by the Germans during World War I. The USSR reclaimed control in 1917 but was overthrown by Germany in February 1918. In November 1918, a people's council declared Latvia's independence, with Kārlis Ulmanis heading a provisional government. Soviet rule was restored over much of the country when Germany withdrew in December 1918, but Soviet forces were again overthrown by British naval, Polish, Latvian, and German forces in May–December 1919, and democratic rule was established. A constituent assembly was elected in May 1920 and framed a parliamentary constitution, based on pure proportional representation, which was adopted in 1922. A bloodless coup by Ulmanis in 1934, during a time of economic depression, suspended the constitution and replaced the established government with a nationalist dictatorship. In 1939 a secret German-Soviet agreement (the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact) assigned Latvia to Soviet rule and in June 1940 Soviet forces occupied the country. Latvia was incorporated as a constituent republic of the USSR. A puppet government was installed and tens of thousands of people were arrested, many of whom were deported and some were shot. During World War II Latvia was invaded and again occupied by Nazi German forces 1941–44. During this occupation more than 70,000 Latvian Jews were killed and more than 100,000 others died during the war. The USSR regained control in 1944.

Communist rule

Under the communists, there were mass deportations of Latvians to Russia and central Asia, an influx of ethnic Russians, and development of heavy industries and collective farms. By 1960, only 62% of the population were ethnic Latvian. Repression of Latvian cultural and literary life was extreme during the 1960s and 1970s as a result of a purge of the Latvian Communist Party by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, which saw Latvian-born members replaced by those born in the USSR.

Resurgence of nationalism

As in the other Baltic republics, nationalist dissent grew from 1980, influenced by a faltering economy, the Polish example, and the glasnost (‘political openness’) and perestroika (‘economic restructuring’) initiatives of the reform-communist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In October 1988 a Latvian Popular Front was established to campaign for independence, the prewar flag readopted, and official status given to the Latvian language. In January 1990 the Latvian Communist Party (LCP) broke its links with Moscow and abandoned its constitutional guarantee of a monopoly of power so that a multiparty system could emerge. The 1990 March–April elections resulted in a Popular Front government with Ivars Godmanis as prime minister. In May 1990 Latvia followed the lead taken by Lithuania when it unilaterally declared independence from the USSR, subject to a transitional period for negotiation. In January 1991 Soviet paratroopers seized key installations in Riga, but withdrew later in the month after international protests.

Independence

Latvia boycotted an all-Union referendum on the future of the USSR in March 1991, but held its own plebiscite on independence, which received 74% support. During the August 1991 attempted coup in Moscow against President Gorbachev by conservative communists, Soviet troops seized the radio and television station in Riga. In response, Latvia's parliament declared the country's immediate independence and outlawed the communist party. In September 1991 the USSR and Western nations recognized this declaration and Latvia became a member of the United Nations. In March 1992 Russia agreed to a pullout of -Soviet troops from Latvia, which was completed in August 1994.

Economic reform

Latvia's Popular Front administration introduced market-centred economic reforms and a new currency, the lat, which replaced the rouble in March 1993. In the short term, the republic suffered from a disruption of trading relations with the USSR. It experienced fuel and raw material shortages, a decline in GDP, and a consequent sharp increase in inflation and crime. The introduction of a new citizenship law in 1992 – requiring those who had not been, or were not the descendants of, citizens of the pre-1940 republic to apply for naturalization – prompted Russia to ask the UN for the protection of minorities in Latvia. Naturalization requirements included knowledge of the Latvian language and residence of 16 years in Latvia.

The Popular Front lost decisively in the June 1993 general election, and was replaced by a government centred around the Latvian Way, led by acting president Anatolijs Gorbunovs, and the Latvian Peasants' Union (LZS). The parliament elected Guntis Ulmanis, leader of the LZS, as state president and Valdis Birkavs became prime minister. The new government pressed on with economic reform, including privatization of key state enterprises, while providing strong support for farmers. Maris Gailis became prime minister in July 2004. Latvia signed a trade and cooperation agreement with the European Union in June 1995 and applied for EU membership in October 1995.

In the October 1995 elections two extremist populist parties, the pro-Russian Movement for Latvia and the ex-communist-led Master in Your Own Home (Saimnieks), polled strongly, attracting 15% of the vote each. The result was a hung parliament. Almost a third of Latvia's inhabitants – the majority Russian speakers who did not meet the stringent citizenship requirements – were unable to vote in the election. Andris Skele, an independent, became prime minister, leading an eight-party coalition government.

In October 1996 Ziedonis Cevers, leader of the left-wing protectionist Democratic Party Saimnieks, resigned as deputy prime minister in opposition to the ‘authoritarian style’ of Skele and his draconian budget plan. In April 1998 the Democratic Party Saimnieks withdrew from the ruling coalition, leaving it a minority government.

In October 1998 a national referendum approved liberalization of the citizenship laws, making it easier for ethnic Russians to acquire Latvian citizenship.

1998 elections

The October 1998 general election again produced a hung parliament. Vilis Kristopans, leader of the centre-right Latvian Way, became prime minister, heading a three-party minority coalition government including the centre-right Latvian Way and the nationalistic Union for Fatherland and Freedom-LNNK, whose leader Guntars Krasts (who had been prime minister since August 1977) became deputy premier. The government continued with privatization, harmonizing laws in preparation for joining the EU, and sought to improve relations with Russia.

Leadership changes

In July 1999 Vaira Vike-Freiberga, a former psychology professor in Canada, became the country's new president, and the first female head of state in any former Soviet republic.

With its proportional representation system, Latvia has had a succession of coalition governments with frequent changes in prime ministers. In July 1999 Vilis Kristopans resigned as prime minister and was replaced by the populist Andris Skele, leader of the right-of-centre People's Party. However, Skele's attempts to dismiss his finance minister led to the Union for Fatherland and Freedom (FF/LNNK) withdrawing from the coalition in April 2000. Skele resigned as prime minister and was replaced by Andris Berzins, from the Latvian Way (LW), heading a coalition which comprised the same three parties as the previous coalition (FF/LNNK, LW, and Skele's People's Party), with the addition of the New Party.

Einars Repse, leader of the right-of-centre New Era Party, became prime minister after the October 2002 parliamentary election, heading a new coalition government. This coalition collapsed in February 2004. Repse resigned and Indulis Emsis, of the Green Party, became prime minister, but he resigned in turn in October 2004 after parliament rejected the government's draft budget. Aigars Kalvitis, of the People's Party, became the new prime minister in December 2004, heading a coalition which also included the Union of Greens and Farmers and the Latvia First Party.

EU and NATO membership

Latvia joined the World Trade Organization in 1999. In December 1999 the EU invited Latvia to begin membership negotiations in 2000. Latvia joined the EU on 1 May 2004, after 67% of voters approved accession in a 2003 referendum. Latvia also joined NATO in 2004.

Since 2000 Latvia's economy has been growing at an annual rate of 8%, though since joining the EU it has suffered outward economic migration of some skilled workers, chiefly to the UK and Ireland.

Latvia (redirected from Republic of Latvia)