Signature drive commences for referendum on keeping the lat as Latvia's national currency

RIGA, June 5 - Association "For the Lat, Against the Euro" today started a signature drive for a referendum on keeping the lat as the national currency of Latvia, as the association's representatives informed LETA.

During the first round of the signature drive, 30,000 signatures, confirmed by a notary, must be collected. Once this is done, the further process of signature collection will be organized by the Central Election Commission. The association's website "www.parlatupreteiro.lv" offers a form for signature collection and informs what must be done in order to have one's signature confirmed by a notary.

Several organizations have officially joined the campaign, including the Union of Healthcare and Social Care Workers of Latvia, Environmental Protection Club, Leftist Patriots, Rural Support Association, Guards of Fatherland, Latvian Pensioners' Federation, which will organize signature collection among these organizations members and otherwise support the campaign.

As reported, on March 14 the Central Election Commission decided to give the go-ahead for a signature drive proposing amending the Constitution so the nation would have the right to decide the key aspects of Latvia's membership in the European Union. At the same time, the Election Commission decided not to register a signature drive for amending the Constitution in order to designate the lat as the national currency of Latvia.

The association says that the Election Commission's decision therefore means that two referendums will have to be held - one on the nation's right to decide the national currency of Latvia, and the other on keeping the lat as the national currency, which the association says is absurd, and it appealed the Election Commission's decision to the Supreme Court. At the same time, the association has decided to start the first round of signature drive for the referendum.
leta.lv

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