• Analysis of the ethnic vote

Telegraf interviewed experts about apparent decline of the interest of voters towards ethnic issues. Director of the sociological bureau „Latvijas fakti” Mr. Aigars Freimanis says that „Russians started to vote for Latvian parties and Latvians for Russian parties”. According to political scientist Ms. Ilga Kreituse, „in the municipal elections and European Parliament election Latvians were voting for the Concord Centre as a protest vote against the present ruling coalition. (…) The ethnic vote was still important among the voters of the Civic Union.”. Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Ms. Ilze Brands – Kehris believes that „this is a first time, when we see such decline of the ethnic vote. This is a clear progress. Unfortunately, there is also a simultaneous tendency when everyone is voting for their own community. Meanwhile, the latest election results is a very important sigh that non-ethnic vote is possible”.