Society
Results of a population survey published on March 25 by the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB) by interviewing one in a hundred households show that 6.2 % of the total population suffered from severe material and social deprivation in 2023 (1.6 percentage points fewer than in 2022 when those were 7.8 %).
Less than a thousand of the 40,000 Russian citizens living in Latvia who are eligible to vote turned out for the so-called "elections" of the Russian President, which took place in Riga just a week ago. A large number did not hide their support for Putin. Latvian Television's "De facto" broadcast, aired March 24, tried to find out what has been done to reduce the ranks of war supporters in Latvia.
The number of people seeking help from various institutions and organizations because they may have experienced violence increases every year. In Liepāja, the women's rights center "Centrs Marta" provided support to more than 300 people last year. To help even more people, the Centre has decided to recruit volunteers, TV Kurzeme reported March 22.
The astronomical spring has begun, and birds are beginning to return to Latvia. “Let's give returning birds a home and fighting Ukrainian soldiers wings” is the motto of the Ukrainian support campaign, which brings together Latvians and Lithuanians to raise money for drones by painting birdhouses, Latvian Television reports.
The majority of Latvian population believe that Latvia's assistance to Ukraine should be maintained at its current level or increased, but a majority of Russian-speakers in Latvia have a different opinion, a public opinion poll conducted by the research centre Norstat in cooperation with LSM.lv suggests.
Following the attack on the Museum of the Occupation, plans are underway to speed up the establishment of a comprehensive video surveillance network throughout Latvia. The first step is to identify what is already there and what can be used. Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) has been tasked to do this within a month, reports Latvian Television's "De Facto" on March 10.
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) has issued the first six exit orders to Russian citizens who have not submitted any documents to request a residence permit for living in Latvia. Two of them have already left Latvia, said Maira Roze, head of PMLP, in an interview with the Latvian Television “Morning Panorama” March 8.
Last year, 68 people died in fires in Latvia, the lowest number in 20 years. This statistic includes not only people who died in cities, but also in villages and rural homesteads. Firefighters say that rural fires are not always reached in time because homesteads are far apart, and road conditions also hamper the access, Latvian Radio reported March 5.
Finally, signs of spring have appeared in Latgale. Slippery, ice-covered roads have been replaced by mud. For residents and the services, it is a testing time.
Finally, signs of spring have appeared in Latgale. Slippery, ice-covered roads have been replaced by mud. For residents and the services, it is a testing time.
In 2022, 989 000 people acquired the citizenship of the EU country where they lived, an increase of around 20% (+163 100 people) compared with 2021 according to data on the acquisition of citizenship published by Eurostat February 29.
In 2022, the severe material and social deprivation rate among young people (aged 15-29 years) in the EU was 6.1%. The rate was slightly higher (6.7%) among the total population (all people living in private households), according to recent Eurostat figures.
For many years, in Latvia, it has been prohibited to smoke in cafes, parks, educational institution areas, public transport stops and many other public places. According to Riga Municipal Police (RPP), more than 300 smoking-related violations were detected in the capital in 2023, reports Latvian Television's 4. studija.
Two years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, one in three or 34.3% of Latvian residents surveyed by the pollster SKDS and Latvian Television's "What is happening in Latvia/KNL" program, think that it would be better if war stopped even if Ukraine has to agree to compromises on its behalf.