• Changes in the Naturalisation Board
• PR specialist Jurgis Liepnieks: Latvia sent a dangerous geopolitical signal

Latvijas Avize reports that the Head of the Naturalisation Board Ms. Eizenija Aldermane has been elected to the Riga City Council and therefore will leave the Naturalisation Board where she spent almost 15 years. Meanwhile there are also speculations that Naturalisation Board will be merged with Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs. At the Riga City Council, Ms. Aldermane is going to work on education, national minority and human rights issues. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize discusses election results with Mr. Jurgis Liepnieks, the leading PR person of the People’s Party. Mr. Liepnieks believes elections sent a dangerous geopolitical signal, alleging that in the future, people with links to Moscow could become a part of Latvia’s ruling elite. He compares Latvia to a house with developing dry-rot in it. According to Mr. Liepnieks, there is no ethnic conflict between Latvians and Russians in Latvia, yet there is an issue of loyalty towards Latvian statehood, which consists of the state language, ethnic Latvian people, ethnic Latvian environment and preservation of cultural heritage. He argues the government budget cuts are sending Latvia into a downward spiral, leading to poverty, emigration and decline of education, healthcare, social provisions and public security.