Restrictions on dual citizenship, including language that gave exiles until just 1995 to reclaim their Latvian citizenship, are constitutional, the nation’s Constitutional Court has ruled.

The court announced its ruling May 13, ending a challenge to the citizenship law by the Supreme Court and perhaps dashing the hopes of a Latvian family in Germany whose case led to the constitutional question.

However, the Constitutional Court also noted that the restriction on dual citizenship is essentially a political question, not one to be decided on legal considerations, court spokeswoman Līna Kovalevska said in a press release.

“Therefore the overall question about allowing dual citizenship should be decided by lawmakers or by the citizens,” she added, echoing the court’s written opinion.

The Constitutional Court heard the case on April 13 and had 30 days in which to issue an opinion.

In August, Latvia’s Supreme Court justices said that in their opinion rules barring dual citizenship are unconstitutional and asked the Constitutional Court to look into the matter.

The Supreme Court has been considering the case of Baiba Lapiņa-Strunska and Viktors Strunskis and their daughter, Rauna. The three are German citizens but also understood themselves to be Latvian citizens based on pre-1991 passports issued by Latvia’s legations in exile. However, when they tried to register as Latvian citizens in Rīga, officials of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvalde, or PMLP) told them they first would have to renounce their German citizenship.

When Latvia regained independence in 1991, the government allowed pre-World War II citizens and their descendants to renew Latvian citizenship without giving up the citizenship of their home countries. The “transitional rule” expired in July 1995 and since that time it has not been possible for Latvians to obtain dual citizenship.

Lapiņa-Strunska and Strunskis challenged the rule and sued the PMLP.

Lapiņa-Strunska, reached by e-mail shortly after the decision was announced, declined to comment immediately. However, she said she had expected the result.

Lapiņa-Strunska has said the ban on dual citizenship is unfair and runs counter to modern European practice. The 1995 deadline, she has said, did not give enough time for many exile Latvians and their descendants to learn of the possibility of dual citizenship and to take care of the paperwork. Tens of thousands of potential Latvian citizens, Lapiņa-Strunska has said, were denied the chance to become dual citizens.

The Constitutional Court disagreed, noting that the window for claiming dual citizenship was about three and a half years.

“There is no reason to believe that persons who really wanted to renew Latvian citizenship in all this time had no chance to take care of registration,” the court’s opinion stated.

Under the transitional rule, Latvian citizens and their descendants who from June 17, 1940, until May 4, 1990, left the country as refugees or were deported, and who during that time had become naturalized in another country, until July 1, 1995, could also register as Latvian citizens. After the deadline, persons wanting to become Latvian citizens must renounce their existing citizenship.

According to PMLP data, a total of 30,793 persons registered as Latvian dual citizens. Of those, 12,473 were from the United States; 4,283 from Australia; 3,788 from Canada; 2,759 from Great Britain; and 1,615 from Germany.

Latvia’s parliament has confirmed two new government ministers, who are replacements necessitated by the People’s Party’s decision in March to quit the ruling coalition.

The Saeima on May 13 voted 48-24, with five abstentions, to confirm Dagnija Staķe as the new minister of regional development and local government affairs. She replaces Edgars Zalāns of the People’s Party (Tautas partija).

Staķe, 58, is a member of parliament and served as welfare minister from 2002-2007. She is a member of the Union of Greens and Farmers (Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība), which is one of the four political parties remaining in the government coalition.

After the People’s Party left the coalition, media reports suggested the regional development and local government affairs ministry might be eliminated as a cost-saving measure.

The Saeima also confirmed Didzis Gavars as the new health minister on a 49-25 vote, with 16 abstentions. Gavars, 43, replaces Baiba Rozentāle of the People’s Party. Since 1993, Gavars has been assistant director of SIA E. Gulbja Laboratorija in Rīga.

The parliament on April 29 confirmed Aivis Ronis as the new foreign minister, replacing Māris Riekstiņš of the People’s Party. Ronis, 41, has diplomatic experience including serving as Latvia’s ambassador to the United States and to the NATO defense alliance.

Still undecided is the fate of the justice minister’s portfolio. Mareks Segliņš of the People’s Party resigned from the post and the job for now is being handled by Defense Minister Imants Lieģis.

A fifth People’s Party government official, Culture Minister Ints Dālderis, announced March 19 that he would not step down.

Latvia has made it through to the qualifying round of the 2010 World Championship in ice hockey after defeating Italy 5-2 in a game played May 12 in Mannheim, Germany.

Sixteen teams are in the contest, split among four groups playing in the preliminary round, according to the officials website of the International Ice Hockey Federation. In its group, Latvia found itself up against hockey powerhouse Canada, as well as Switzerland and Italy. The top three teams in each of the four groups advance to the qualifiying round.

No. 11-ranked Latvia lost its first game May 8 against Switzerland by a score of 3-1, the Swiss exacting revenge for their 2-1 loss to Latvia during the 2009 World Championship.

Latvia also suffered in its match May 10 against Canada, falling 6-1.

The championship began May 7 and continues through to the final game May 23.

Latvia finished seventh overall in the 2009 World Championship, which took place in Switzerland. Latvia made it to the quarterfinal but lost 4-2 to Canada.