Latvia rejects Russian language

RIGA - Reuters

Latvians voted overwhelmingly Feb. 18 to reject a proposal to make Russian a second official language, in a referendum that has heightened ethnic tensions. The vote was initiated by Latvia’s pro-Russian lobby, which says the large Russian-speaking minority has been denied equal rights since Latvia gained independence in 1991. Many Latvians saw the vote as a Kremlin-backed attempt to turn the clock back on independence and push the country back into Russia’s sphere of influence. 

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