Latvian political party Harmony has submitted an application to the Constitutional Court challenging the norm of the law that prohibits the use of third country languages, including Russian, in pre-election political promotion. The party argues that this is a violation of the fundamental principles of the Constitution, such as freedom of expression and the prohibition of censorship. The law passed in summer 2023 requires all pre-election political promotion in Latvia to be done in the state language only. The amendments also allow for translations into the official languages of EU member states. UÅ¡akovs criticizes the restriction as absurd and claims that it punishes politicians who communicate with Russian-speaking voters. The application has been submitted to the Constitutional Court for review [993236ec].
This development in Latvia adds to the ongoing discussions about language restrictions in pre-election promotion. The case highlights the tension between the need to promote the state language and the rights of minority language speakers. It raises questions about the balance between language policies and freedom of expression. The outcome of the Constitutional Court's review will have implications for future election campaigns and the participation of minority language speakers in the political process [993236ec].