Polling stations open in preparation for referendum on Saeima’s dismissal

Latvians Online | 

Polling stations in Latvia and abroad began work July 13 in preparation for a referendum that could result in dismissal of the 10th Saeima.

The stations—including 78 abroad—will have information about the balloting process available for anyone interested, according to the Central Election Commission in Rīga.

The polling stations are to be open four hours per day from July 13-July 22. Hours are to be set by local election officials. The referendum is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time on July 23.

Also, persons who for medical or other reasons will not be able to get to a polling station may apply to vote in their home or hospital. Further information about the application process and deadline is available from the election commission’s website at www.cvk.lv.

The referendum was initiated after then-President Valdis Zatlers used his constitutional power to call for the parliament’s dismissal. If the referendum succeeds, the 100 members of the Saeima will lose their posts and new elections will be held in September. If the referendum fails, the president is supposed to step down, but Zatlers’ term in office expired July 7.

A list of polling stations is available from the commission’s website in PDF or Microsoft Word format. In order to vote, a person must have a valid Latvian passport and be at least 18 years old.

Irish police search for missing Latvian

Latvians Online | 

Police in the town of Tuam in west central Ireland are searching for a 30-year-old Latvian national who was last seen a week ago.

Juris Buls was last seen at 10:45 p.m. July 7 at his home in Glenamaddy, County Galway, according to the Garda Press Office. He was due at work at midnight at Titan Plastics in Glenamaddy, but failed to show up.

No one has heard from Buls since then, police said.

Buls is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall (about 170 cm), with short blond hair and blue eyes. He is of light build, police said. He may have been wearing a blue, heavy-line work jacket with the inscription “Titan” on the front left lapel and the word “Kingspan” on the back.

Buls’ car is described as a black Audi A4 with a registration number of 04D76216.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Garda station in Tuam at +353 093 70840.

Iļģi releases retrospective album

Egils Kaljo | 

Latvian post-folk ensemble Iļģi has a new retrospective compact disc, simply entitled Izlase. Released by the Upe tuviem un tāliem recording label, the CD contains a number of selections from the group’s albums released over the past decade.

The collection, which covers the years from 2001-2009, selects songs from the albums Sēju vēju, Kaza kāpa debesīs, Ne uz vienu dienu, Ej tu dejot!, and Īsākās nakts dziesmas. However, the collection does not feature any songs from albums Totari, Spēlēju, dancoju, Saules meita and earlier albums.

Tracks on the Izlase disc include:

  1. Sēju vēju
  2. Ābelīte
  3. Sit, Jānīti, vara bungas
  4. Šķiraties(i), zosu pulki
  5. No tālienes es pazinu
  6. Seši jauni bandenieki
  7. Ačkups
  8. Pankūku virkne
  9. Barabolja
  10. Šķērsu dienu saule teka
  11. Ģežablis
  12. Uz Daugavas es dzīvoju
  13. Aizalaida sauleite
  14. Kas tur nāca pār jūriņu
  15. Jūrā gāju naudu sēti

Iļģi has recently recorded two new songs: “Dārguma trauks,” which can be found on the Strāvoklis collection of songs with lyrics by Latvian poet Rainis, and “Trīs rītiņi saule leca” with lyrics taken from Latvian dainas, which can be heard on the group’s draugiem.lv profile page.

Iļģi in 2011 celebrates its 30th anniversary as an ensemble. An anniversary concert and the release of a double CD of new material are planned for later this year. Iļģi also frequently performs this summer at the Egle outdoor beer garden in Old Rīga.

Iļģi also traveled to Borneo to participate in the Rainforest World Music Festival on July 9-10.

For more on Iļģi, visit the ensemble’s website, ilgi.lv.

Iļģi izlase

The new release by Iļģi, called Izlase, is a 15-track retrospective album.

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.