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NUMBER As of 2007, there were about 393 000 non-citizens living in Latvia Statistics of Latvian Department of Population Register , mostly Russian-speaking. In 1991, they were about 700 000. Non-citizens' number is declining due to dying out, emigration and naturalization (since 1995, allowed for most non-citizens after referendum in 1998). STATUS This category of people was created by decision Decision of Supreme Soviet of Republic of Latvia "On restoring the rights of citizens of Republic of Latvia and basic rules of naturalization", 15.10.1991. of Latvian parliament (elected by the current non-citizens too) in October 1991, when it acknowledged as citizens of Latvia only citizens of Republic of Latvia in 1940 and their children. Non-citizens' legal status wasn't clear until the 1995 Law on the Status of those Former USSR Citizens who do not Possess Citizenship of Latvia or Citizenship of any Other Country Law on the Status of those Former USSR Citizens who do not Possess Citizenship of Latvia or Citizenship of any Other Country . They have Judgement of Latvian Constitutional court on losing non-citizen's status, see Section 17 some legal ties with Latvia and, therefore, difference in status from Stateless Person s (), such as right to reside in Latvia without visas or residence permits. However, non-citizens have no voting rights Electoral legislation of Latvia , limited rights on pensions Judgement of the Constitutional Court in case No.2001-02-0106 (maintaining the limitations) etc. They are not allowed to work in government, police and civil services. Several foreign nations also treat citizens and non-citizens of Latvia differently, admitting citizens of Latvia without visa but requiring visas from non-citizens. Russia has an opposite practice, providing visas to citizens of Latvia for a higher fee than to non-citizensVisa information at the website of Russian embassy in Latvia: Russian , Latvian . For international purposes, these non-citizens are generally considered similar to Stateless Person s. NATURALISATION Non-citizens may ). As of May, 2007, 124 153 people are naturalized Statistics of Naturalization Board , mostly non-citizens. NON-CITIZENS AS A POLITICAL QUESTION Before the victory in 1990 elections, the Popular Front Of Latvia claimedLatvijas Tautas frontes 2. kongress. Programma, statūti, rezolūcijas — R., LTF izdevniecība, 1990 — 7. lpp. that all willing residents of Latvia should get citizenship of independent Latvia ("zero option"). According to SKDS research ''Uzskati par starpetniskajām attiecībām Latvijā'' — Rīga: SKDS, 2005. — 12.—13. lpp. , in 2005 45.9 % of inhabitants (but only 38.4 % of citizens) supported granting voting rights for non-citizens at municipal elections, against such amendments were 35.6 % of inhabitants (and 42.8 % of citizens). 74.6 % of Russian-speaking respondents and 24.8 % of ethnic Latvian respondents expressed support for this idea, negative attitude to it was shown by 7.8 % of Russian-speaking respondents and 55.9 % of ethnic Latvian respondents. Nowadays, asks TB/LNNK program for 2006 elections to stop naturalization. Most of the ruling parties support the ''status quo''. International community expresses slightly different views on the question. So, OSCE mission monitoring the 2006 Parliamentary Elections mentioned that A resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in November 2006 found: Russian Foreign Office has published a collection List of main claims and recommendations of international organisations and NGO to Latvia as regards rights of national minorities (2004) of international recommendations to Latvia concerning the minority rights, including those on non-citizenship issue. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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