A total of 32 Latvian embassies and consulates abroad will be among locations open April 3 through May 2 to gather signatures in favor of a national referendum on controversial changes to Latvia’s security laws.

The signature drive begins just days after the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, overturned its own decision to approve the security law amendments.

At least 10 percent of Latvian citizens registered to vote in the last Saeima election—a total of 149,064 individuals—must sign in favor of the referendum for it to be called, according to the Central Election Commission.

If successful, some observers say, the referendum could be seen as a popular vote of no confidence in the government and the parliament.

The signature drive was put into effect March 10 when President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga froze for two months implementation of two controversial amendments to the country’s National Security Law and the State Law on Security Institutions.

The changes, which expanded the list of who in the government could have access to state secrets, were adopted in January by an emergency decree of the Cabinet of Ministers while the parliament was not in session. Among changes was the makeup of the National Security Council, which under the existing law was made up of the heads of the country’s security institutions. Under one amendment, the National Security Council instead would be led by the prime minister and would consist of the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, interior and justice.

The cabinet’s move surprised a number of observers, who criticized the action as heavy-handed and politically motivated. However, the amendments were endorsed by the Saeima in a Feb. 1 vote.

Supporters argued the amendments provide more oversight and transparency of security institutions, but the president apparently was not convinced. Citing concerns that the amendments “could threaten the successful and professional work of state security institutions” as well as Latvia’s relations with its partners in the NATO defense alliance, Vīķe-Freiberga vetoed the amendments on Feb. 9. The Saeima in turn overrode her veto on March 1.

The president’s decision to freeze implementation of the amendments—the first time she has invoked such power—forced the call for a national referendum. If the signature drive is successful, the referendum in separate questions would call for rescinding the parliament’s approval of the amendments to the two laws. According to Latvia’s constitution, lawmakers can avoid a referendum by passing the amendments again with a 75 percent majority vote in the 100-seat Saeima. However, that does not seem likely to happen because the government coalition led by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis has only a thin majority in the Saeima.

In fact, the call for a referendum may be moot, because the Saeima on March 29 overturned its own decision, returning the laws to their original versions.

Citizens who are at least 18 years old and who have a valid Latvian passport may sign the referendum petition. A total of 615 stations have been set up around Latvia, while 32 will operate abroad.

Locations abroad include the Latvian embassies in Austria, Azerbaidjan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (both the embassy in Moscow and the consular section in Kaliningrad), Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, as well as the Latvian consulates in Vitebsk, Belarus; Bonn, Germany, and Pskov and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Offices are to be open four hours per day to collect signatures, according to the Central Election Commission.

Unless they happen to travel to a place where a petition is available, Latvian citizens in a number of countries—including Australia, Brazil and Venezuela—will not have the opportunity to sign on. The honorary consuls in those countries could not guarantee they would be available the required four hours per day, Kristīne Bērziņa, spokesperson for the Central Election Commission, said in an e-mail to Latvians Online.

The American Latvian Association’s board of directors on March 31 adopted a resolution supporting the president’s decision to block the amendments and encouraged Latvian citizens in the United States to sign the petition. Political scientist Jānis Peniķis, in a letter to the ALA board, wrote that despite the Saeima’s March 29 about-face, the referendum drive should continue because there is no guarantee the Kalvītis government and its majority in the parliament will not again attempt to modify state security laws. A successful petition drive, he added, could at least put up a barrier to the Kalvītis government.

“Our view is that the changes in the state security laws were wrong,” Mārtiņš Duhms, chairperson of the ALA, said in an e-mail. “The referendum will allow Latvian citizens the opportunity to express their opinion.”

Further information about locations and times is available from the Web site of the Central Election Commission, www.cvk.lv.

At least 10 percent of Ireland’s population is made up of the foreign born, including nearly 14,000 Latvians, according to detailed figures released by Central Statistics Office Ireland. However, the numbers may be conservative.

Of those born in Latvia, more than half (7,551) were between the ages of 25 and 44, according to the latest census details released March 29. Another 3,933 were between the ages of 15 and 24.

The Irish census was conducted in April 2006 and counted more than 4.2 million people.

Anecdotal evidence and other official sources have suggested the number of Latvians in Ireland is much higher, ranging from about 20,000 to at least twice that.

According to the census, men from Latvia totaled 7,556, compared to 6,443 women.

Persons born in Great Britain, about 221,600, represented the greatest number of Ireland’s foreign-born. Poland was second with about 63,100, followed by Northern Ireland with 50,200 and Lithuania with 24,808.

Estonians accounted for 2,373 in the 2006 Irish census.

Ireland’s population has grown since reaching a low of 2.95 million in the 1946 census. The last time Ireland’s population topped 4 million was in 1871.

Latvia has broken into the Top 50 of countries in terms of how it is leveraging information and communication technology to become more economically competitive, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum.

However, the nation’s ranking lags behind that of its Baltic neighbors, despite making an impressive gain from last year.

The forum’s report and its latest Networked Readiness Index were released March 29 in Geneva. Denmark moved to the No. 1 spot, while the United States—which last year led the rankings—slipped to No. 7.

Latvia came in 42nd, up nine spots from its ranking in the 2005-2006 edition of The Global Information Technology Report. The report this year ranked 122 countries.

Lithuania ranked 39th, an improvement of five spots from its former ranking of 44th.

Estonia, meanwhile, improved three spots to land at No. 20 and was showcased by the World Economic Forum “for the impressive progress realized in the space of a decade in networked readiness as well as general competitiveness, driven by an efficient government ICT vision and strategy.”

In addition to remarking on Denmark’s success in rising to the top of the ranking, the report also lauded the Scandinavian nations of Norway, Sweden and Finland.

“The recipe of Nordic countries for networked and competitive success has to do with a very strong focus on education, which has enabled the establishment and development of highly efficient educational institutions and a culture of innovation; transparent and well-functioning public institutions which have resulted in a business-friendly environment; and a strong readiness by key national stakeholders to adopt the latest technologies,” the forum said in a press release.

The rankings were prepared in cooperation with the Paris-based INSEAD business school.