Of the 28 citizenship applicants, 71% have ethnic Russian roots, 3% are Ukrainians, and 14% Belarusians.
In total 148,830 persons have now been admitted to Latvian citizenship through naturalization since the process was launched in 1995.
In order to become a Latvian citizen by naturalization, a person must confirm their basic proficiency in the Latvian language, as well as successfully pass an examination of the basic provisions of the constitution, the text of the national anthem and knowledge of Latvian history.
Citizenship can also be bestowed by special ruling of the Saeima for "special merit", which sidesteps the requirements for the language and other tests. However, this is a fairly rare occurence.
Congratulations to all the new citizens!
