Oskars Kastens, Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration of Latvia, addressing the Chamber of Local Authorities |
In a recommendation to the Council
of Europe Committee or Ministers, the Congress urged Latvia’s
authorities to grant non-citizens the right to vote at local level.
The recommendation was adopted following the debate held in the
Chamber of Local Authorities on 2 December, with the
participation of Oskars Kastens, Special Assignments Minister for
Social Integration of Latvia.
Congress Vice-President Jean-Claude Frécon (France, SOC),
presented his report based on the fact-finding mission he guided in
April 2008. The report pointed out that the vast
majority of non-citizens are long-term residents, often born in the
country and largely integrated within the society, but nevertheless
excluded from electing representatives in their municipalities of
residence.
The Congress took into consideration
the need to separate the question of political rights from that of
naturalisation, and to grant political rights at local level to all
non-citizens, which will foster their integration into Latvian
society. It called on local authorities to grant non-citizens voting
rights at local level, and to think about the possibility of
granting automatic naturalisation to the elderly and those born in
Latvia. The Congress also recommended that Latvia sign and ratify
the Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at
Local Level.
Speech
Granting ‘non-citizens’ voting rights at local level will
foster their integration, according to Jean-Claude Frécon
''Some
16 % of the population in Latvia, or 370,000 people, have the
so-called “non-citizen” status. Apart from this title which implies
their exclusion, they do not possess de facto the same political
rights as Latvian citizens,'' stressed Congress Vice-President
Jean-Claude Frécon (France, SOC), presenting his report on the
situation of local democracy in Latvia. ''We believe that not
allowing these Latvian residents to participate in the local life
undermines the spirit of the European Charter of Local
Self-Government and, in particular, of its Preamble, which Latvia
signed and ratified in 1996,'' he emphasised, calling on Latvian
authorities to grant ''non-citizens'' the right to vote at local
level.
Speech
(French)
Oskars Kastens: ''The right to vote is an integral part of
citizenship''
''Latvia has made great strides in integrating our society, through
educational reform, naturalisation and integration of migrants,''
Oskars Kastens, Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration
of Latvia, stated during the debate on the participation of
non-citizens at local level his country. ''However, the main
obstacle to naturalisation is the lack of motivation. Granting
non-citizens the right to vote would slow the naturalisation and
therefore integration process even further. At the same time,
non-citizens can participate in political life through political
parties and NGOs,'' he said, calling on the Congress to adopt
recommendations which would truly facilitate integration and reduce
polarisation.
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