| 2011.02.17 08:26 |
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RIGA, Feb 16 (LETA) - Today, during a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis (Unity), OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebek urged Latvia to allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. Kristovskis in his turn pointed out that the rights to vote must belong to citizens and that a part of society does not want to vote or become citizens due to additional obligations towards the state. Kristovskis believes that if non-citizens will be granted the rights to vote in municipal elections, they will not be interested in naturalization. Commenting on naturalization, Vollebek said that it is necessary to carry out an informative campaign, where the citizenship requirements would be explained, and added that many Latvian residents lack such information. Vollebek, however, lauded Latvian President Valdis Zatlers' proposal to amend the Citizenship Law, so that the children of non-citizens would automatically be granted Latvian citizenship. Ainārs Leijējs LETA
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