Latvian citizens abroad who wish to vote by mail in the upcoming referendum on changes to two national security laws have until June 16 to submit their requests and passports to one of 15 diplomatic representatives, the Central Election Commission has announced.

The list of countries is based on absentee voting activity in the last parliamentary election, the commission said in a May 15 press release.

Vote-by-mail requests will be received by the Latvian embassies in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Requests also will be received by the consulates in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and in Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia.

Voters who expect to be abroad on July 7, the day of the referendum, have the right to request an absentee ballot. The request should include the voter’s name, personal identification number (personas kods) and address where the absentee ballot should be sent. The voter also must submit their Latvian passport.

A request for an absentee ballot must be mailed to one of the following locations:

• Australia (Adelaide): Honorary Consulate of Latvia, 648 South Road, Glandore 5037, South Australia, Australia.
• Australia (Melbourne): Honorary Consulate of Latvia, 2 Mackennel Street, East Ivanhoe VIC 3079, Australia.
• Belgium: Embassy of Latvia, 158 av. Molière, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
• Brazil: Honorary Consulate of Latvia, Rua Jacques Felix 586, Ap.12, 04509-002 San Paulo, Brazil.
• Canada: Embassy of Latvia, 350 Sparks St., Suite 1200, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 7S8, Canada.
• Denmark: Embassy of Latvia, 17 Rosbaeksvej, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
• France: Embassy of Latvia, 6 Villa Said, 75116 Paris, France.
• Georgia: Embassy of Latvia, Rezo Tabukashvili ielā 17, 380008, Tbilisi, Georgia.
• Germany: Embassy of Latvia, Reinerzstr. 40-41, 14193 Berlin, Germany.
• Ireland: Embassy of Latvia, 92 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
• Norway: Embassy of Latvia, Bygdoy Allé 76, Post Box 3163 Elisenberg, 0208 Oslo, Norway.
• Russia: Embassy of Latvia, ul. Chapligina 3, 105062 Moscow, Russia.
• Sweden: Embassy of Latvia, Odengatan 5, Box 19167, 104 32 Stockholm, Sweden.
• United Kingdom: Embassy of Latvia, 45 Nottingham Place, London W1U 5LY, United Kingdom.
• United States: Embassy of Latvia, 2306 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, United States.

At the embassy or consulate, the request and the passport will be reviewed. If all is in order, the passport will be stamped.

After June 16, the absentee ballot will be mailed to the voter and he or she will have until July 7 to return it.

Latvian citizens age 18 and older may vote in the referendum.

Serbia, in its first time competing, has won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, outscoring its Slavic relatives Ukraine and Russia. That means Serbia will host next year’s contest.

The 2007 Eurovision contest’s final was held May 12 in Helsinki, Finland.

Serbia’s entry, the song “Molitva” performed by singer Marija Šerifović, won 268 points. Ukraine’s gender-bending Verka Serduchka, tapped by many oddsmakers as the sure winner, came in second with 235 points. The Russian trio Serebro and their “Song #1,” took third with 207 points.

Latvia’s Bonaparti.lv and the Italian-language song “Questa notte,” which made it through the May 10 semi-final to earn a spot in the final, scored 54 points for 16th place. If Latvia competes next year, it will have to again face other contenders in a semi-final bout.

Latvia earned 10 points each from Estonia, Ireland and Lithuania; 6 points from Slovenia; 4 points each from Malta and the United Kingdom; 3 points each from the Netherlands and Norway; 2 points from Romania, and 1 point each from Croatia and Poland;

Voters in Latvia cast their top points to Ukraine (12), Lithuania (10) and Belarus (8).

Voters in Ireland—which has seen great numbers of Baltic immigrants arrive in recent years—not only gave Latvia 10 points, but also gave Lithuania the top score of 12 points.

Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga is to visit Morocco from May 13-16, leading a delegation of business people and visiting the girls’ high school she attended following World War II, the president’s press office has announced.

The trip will begin May 13 with her arrival in Marrakech, where she will tour UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites and participate in a reception hosted by Latvian business leaders. The following day, before leaving for Casablanca, Vīķe-Freiberga is to visit the Mosque of Koutoubia and the Saadian tombs.

On May 15, the president will visit the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca, which is the third largest mosque in the world. She also is to meet with King Mohamed VI, Prime Minister Driss Jettou and parliamentary leaders. The president also will participate in a Latvian and Moroccan business forum before attending a state dinner hosted by the king.

Before returning to Latvia on May 16, Vīķe-Freiberga will visit the Al Khansa lycée in Casablanca. The president attended the high school, formerly known as the Collège Mers-Sultan, from 1953-1954. An addition to the school will be named in her honor.

Besides business leaders, Transport Minister Ainars Šlesers will accompany the president on her trip.