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109-587: The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Latvian SSR , also known as just Latvia ) was de facto one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944–1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began in June and August 1939, according to the agreed terms of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact 's secret protocol. In 1939, Latvia was forced to grant military bases on its soil to

218-448: A declaration that gave the functions of parliament to the Cabinet of Ministers until a new constitution was to be drafted, which never happened. In 1940 Latvian SSR was established by occupying Soviet Union forces and a parliament called the " People's Saeima of Latvia " was elected. The legality of this parliament and its decisions is questioned–Soviets considered that the constitution

327-556: A band of white. 6. The Saeima shall be elected in general, equal and direct elections, and by secret ballot based on proportional representation. 77. If the Saeima has amended the first, second, third, fourth, sixth or seventy-seventh Article of the Constitution, such amendments, in order to come into force as law, shall be submitted to a national referendum. The Saeima , the parliament of Latvia, consists of 100 members, designated by

436-427: A chapter that was to regulate citizens' rights and obligations this was not originally adopted. The chapter on human rights was added as part of constitutional amendment in 1998. Provisions for amendments are stated in articles 76-79 of the constitution. Amendments to most articles can be made by the Saeima. Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 77 are exceptions, as article 77 requires a referendum to amend these articles. During

545-436: A couple living together (opposite-sex or same-sex). De facto unions are defined in the federal Family Law Act 1975 . De facto relationships provide couples who are living together on a genuine domestic basis with many of the same rights and benefits as married couples. Two people can become a de facto couple by entering into a registered relationship (i.e.: civil union or domestic partnership) or by being assessed as such by

654-410: A court order awards custody, either sole or joint. A de facto monopoly is a system where many suppliers of a product are allowed but the market is so completely dominated by one that the other players are unable to compete or even survive. The related terms oligopoly and monopsony are similar in meaning and this is the type of situation that antitrust laws are intended to eliminate. In finance,

763-427: A de facto national language but no official, de jure national language. Some countries have a de facto national language in addition to an official language. In Lebanon and Morocco , Arabic is an official language (in addition to Tamazight in the case of Morocco), but an additional de facto language is also French. In New Zealand, the official languages are Māori and New Zealand Sign Language ; however, English

872-415: A few votes; the chapter on fundamental human rights was added only by a constitutional amendment in 1998. After the 1934 Latvian coup d'état by Prime Minister of Latvia Kārlis Ulmanis , Satversme was suspended and government assumed the law-giving functions of the Saeima. This situation continued until June 17, 1940, when the Soviet Union occupied Latvia , destroyed the existing regime, and incorporated

981-511: A new war between the Western powers and the Soviet Union was imminent and expected Latvia to be liberated soon. After the 1949 deportations and collectivization, the resistance movement decreased sharply, with the last few individuals surrendering in 1956 when amnesty was offered. The last holdout was Jānis Pīnups , who hid from authorities until 1995. 120,000 Latvian inhabitants deemed disloyal by

1090-430: A power above the forms of law, claim to act and do really act in their stead. In politics, a de facto leader of a country or region is one who has assumed authority, regardless of whether by lawful, constitutional, or legitimate means; very frequently, the term is reserved for those whose power is thought by some faction to be held by unlawful, unconstitutional, or otherwise illegitimate means, often because it had deposed

1199-477: A previous leader or undermined the rule of a current one. De facto leaders sometimes do not hold a constitutional office and may exercise power informally. Not all dictators are de facto rulers. For example, Augusto Pinochet of Chile initially came to power as the chairperson of a military junta , which briefly made him de facto leader of Chile, but he later amended the nation's constitution and made himself president until new elections were called, making him

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1308-556: A shot and was quickly decimated by purges and included in the Soviet Army. Ulmanis' government resigned and was replaced by a left-wing government created under instructions from the USSR embassy. Up until the election of the People's Parliament on 14–15 July 1940, there were no public statements about governmental plans to introduce a Soviet political order or to join the Soviet Union. Soon after

1417-507: A solemn promise to acquire their mandate was added. Official status for the Latvian language was further secured by making it the working language of state and municipal structures. In 2003, several amendments were made in order for Latvia to join the European Union . In 2004, amendments to certain rights of the president and citizens were made. In 2006, an amendment that defined that marriage as

1526-581: A stalemate and the creation of the Courland Pocket , which allowed some 130,000 Latvians to escape to Sweden and Germany. During the war, both occupying forces conscripted Latvians into their armies, increasing the loss of the nation's "live resources." In Courland , Latvian Legion units fought battles against Latvians of the Red Army. Latvia lost some 20% of its population during World War II. In 1944 part of Abrene District , about 2% of Latvia's territory,

1635-645: A state in Australia. This is because the power to legislate on de facto matters relies on referrals by States to the Commonwealth in accordance with Section 51(xxxvii) of the Australian Constitution , where it states the new federal law can only be applied back within a state. There must be a nexus between the de facto relationship itself and the Australian state. If an Australian de facto couple moves out of

1744-598: A state, they do not take the state with them and the new federal law is tied to the territorial limits of a state. The legal status and rights and obligations of the de facto or unmarried couple would then be recognised by the laws of the country where they are ordinarily resident. This is unlike marriage and "matrimonial causes" which are recognised by sections 51(xxi) and (xxii) of the Constitution of Australia and internationally by marriage law and conventions, Hague Convention on Marriages (1978). A de facto relationship

1853-404: A subsequent legitimate government. That doctrine was nullified by the constitutional reform of 1994 . Article 36 states: Two examples of de facto leaders are Deng Xiaoping of the People's Republic of China and general Manuel Noriega of Panama . Both of these men exercised nearly all control over their respective nations for many years despite not having either legal constitutional office or

1962-503: A sweeping land reform after the independence, most farms were too small for nationalization. While rumors of impending collectivization were officially denied in 1940 and 52,000 landless peasants were given small plots of up to 10 ha, in early 1941, preparations for collectivization began. The small size of land plots and imposition of the production quotas and high taxes meant that very soon independent farmers would go bankrupt and had to establish collective farms. Arrests and deportations to

2071-697: A well-developed infrastructure and educated specialists, it was decided in Moscow that some of the Soviet Union's most advanced manufacturing factories were to be based in Latvia. New industries were created in Latvia, including a major machinery factory RAF, and electrotechnical factories, along with some food and oil processing plants. TV broadcasts from Riga started in 1954, the first in the Baltic's. From 1959 to 1962, leading Latvian national communists were purged as Arvīds Pelše enforced his power. In 1961, Pelše officially banned

2180-461: Is a third de facto language. Russian was the de facto official language of the central government and, to a large extent, republican governments of the former Soviet Union , but was not declared de jure state language until 1990. A short-lived law, effected April 24, 1990, installed Russian as the sole de jure official language of the Union prior to its dissolution in 1991. In Hong Kong and Macau ,

2289-508: Is an independent democratic republic. 2. The sovereign power of the State of Latvia is vested in the people of Latvia. 3. The territory of the State of Latvia, within the borders established by international agreements, consists of Vidzeme, Latgale, Kurzeme and Zemgale. 4. The Latvian language is the official language in The Republic of Latvia. The national flag of Latvia shall be red with

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2398-438: Is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with de jure ('by law'). In jurisprudence , a de facto law (also known as a de facto regulation ) is a law or regulation that is followed but "is not specifically enumerated by a law." By definition, de facto 'contrasts' de jure which means "as defined by law" or "as a matter of law." For example, if a particular law exists in one jurisdiction, but

2507-416: Is comparable to non-marital relationship contracts (sometimes called "palimony agreements") and certain limited forms of domestic partnership, which are found in many jurisdictions throughout the world. A de facto Relationship is not comparable to common-law marriage , which is a fully legal marriage that has merely been contracted in an irregular way (including by habit and repute). Only nine U.S. states and

2616-406: Is followed in another where it has no legal effect (such as in another country), then the law could be considered a de facto regulation (a " de facto regulation" is not an officially prescribed legal classification for a type of law in a particular jurisdiction, rather, it is a concept about law(s). A de facto regulation may be followed by an organization as a result of the market size of

2725-512: Is formed it is up to him to choose a new Prime Minister. The cabinet is formed by the Prime Minister. The Constitution establishes district (city) courts, regional courts, the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court , and rules that, in the event of war or a state of emergency, military courts can also be established. Judges are to be appointed by the Saeima and this decision is irreversible,

2834-459: Is not a marriage and has significant differences socially, financially and emotionally." The above sense of de facto is related to the relationship between common law traditions and formal (statutory, regulatory, civil) law, and common-law marriages . Common law norms for settling disputes in practical situations, often worked out over many generations to establishing precedent , are a core element informing decision making in legal systems around

2943-517: Is used for both: to contrast obligatory standards (also known as "de jure standards"); or to express a dominant standard, when there is more than one proposed standard. In social sciences , a voluntary standard that is also a de facto standard, is a typical solution to a coordination problem . Several countries, including Australia, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States, have

3052-507: Is vested in the President and the Cabinet of ministers. The President however is not politically responsible for carrying out his duties and all his orders have to be signed by the Prime Minister or by the appropriate Minister who thereby becomes responsible for this order. There are two exceptions to this rule - the President can single-handedly decide to dissolve the Saeima and when a new government

3161-457: The Family Court or Federal Circuit Court . Couples who are living together are generally recognised as a de facto union and thus able to claim many of the rights and benefits of a married couple, even if they have not registered or officially documented their relationship, although this may vary by state. It has been noted that it is harder to prove de facto relationship status, particularly in

3270-607: The June deportation as unreliable elements. Some 600 Latvian officers were arrested in the Litene army camp, and many were executed on the spot. Many political prisoners were summarily executed in prisons across Latvia during the hasty Soviet retreat after the German attack on 22 June 1941. Latvia lost some 35,000 people during the first year of Soviet rule. Some deportees had been warned to stay away from home and hid among friends or in forests. After

3379-744: The Latvian SSR into the USSR on August 5. A new, Soviet-style constitution was then introduced. On May 4, 1990 the Supreme Soviet of LSSR passed the declaration On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia , declaring the 1940 Soviet annexation of Latvia illegal (as it was done by ignoring Satversme), and therefore the Satversme and Republic of Latvia still existed de jure . Only articles 1, 2, 3 and 6 of Satversme were reintroduced at that time by

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3488-550: The Soviet Union , it broke the first article of the Satversme. After declaring accession to the USSR, the People's Saeima drafted a Constitution of LSSR on the basis of the 1936 Soviet Constitution . It was adopted a month after, on 25 August 1940. On 18 April 1978 the government of the LSSR adopted a new constitution modeled on the 1977 Soviet Constitution . On 4 May 1990 the Supreme Soviet of LSSR declared restoration of Latvia's independence and adopted articles 1, 2, 3 and 6 of

3597-479: The Soviet occupation of Latvia on 17 June. Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov accused Latvia and the other Baltic states of forming a military conspiracy against the Soviet Union, and so Moscow presented ultimatums, demanding new concessions, which included the replacement of governments with new ones, "determined to fulfill the treaties of friendship sincerely" and allowing an unlimited number of troops to enter

3706-464: The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia as an independent collegial institution and describes the process of appointing Auditors General - the procedure is essentially the same as when appointing judges, with the exception that Auditor General has a fixed term of office. The State Audit Office controls how the state financial resources are used. Although the constitutional bill included

3815-723: The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in January 1941. The remaining Baltic Germans and anyone that could claim to be one emigrated to the German Reich. On 7 August 1940, all print media and printing houses were nationalized. Most existing magazines and newspapers were discontinued or appeared under new Soviet names. In November 1940, banning of books began; in total, some 4,000 titles were banned and removed from circulation. Arrests and deportations of some authors, like Aleksandrs Grīns , began, while others, such as Jānis Sudrabkalns , started writing poems about Stalin. As Latvia had implemented

3924-604: The United Kingdom . Some similarities between Weimar Constitution and Latvian are: During the drafting of the Satversme , the Weimar Constitution was the most modern and progressive system of constitutional control at the time. The German republic system chosen as the Weimar Constitution corresponded to the ideas of national and statehood ideas of Latvia as well. The historical influence of Germany , including legal, in

4033-452: The World Bank has a pertinent definition: A "de facto government" comes into, or remains in, power by means not provided for in the country's constitution, such as a coup d'état, revolution, usurpation, abrogation or suspension of the constitution. In engineering, de facto technology is a system in which the intellectual property and know-how is privately held. Usually only the owner of

4142-422: The jurisdiction imposing the regulation as a proportion of the overall market; wherein the market share is so large that it results in the organization choosing to comply by implementing one standard of business with respect to the given de facto law instead of altering standards between different jurisdictions and markets (e.g. data protection, manufacturing, etc.). The decision to voluntarily comply may be

4251-527: The special administrative regions of China , the official languages are English and Portuguese respectively, together with Chinese. However, no particular variety of Chinese referred to in law is specified. Cantonese ( Hong Kong Cantonese ) in traditional Chinese characters is the de facto standard in both territories. A de facto government is a government wherein all the attributes of sovereignty have, by usurpation, been transferred from those who had been legally invested with them to others, who, sustained by

4360-655: The state language . This group was led by Eduards Berklavs , who in 1957 became the vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers. Orders were issued that non-Latvian Communists should learn some Latvian or lose their jobs within two years. They were opposed by the Russian Latvian communists who had been born to Latvian parents in Russia or the Soviet Union, had returned to Latvia only after World War II, and usually did not speak or avoided speaking Latvian in public. They were supported by

4469-426: The 20th century, the phrase de facto state of war refers to a situation where two nations are actively engaging, or are engaged, in aggressive military actions against the other without a formal declaration of war . A domestic partner outside marriage is referred to as a de facto husband or wife by some authorities. In Australian law , a de facto relationship is a legally recognized, committed relationship of

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4578-540: The 500–1,500 members of the Arajs Commando (which alone killed around 26,000 Jews) and the 2,000 or more Latvian members of the SD . By the end of 1941, almost the entire Jewish population was killed or placed in the death camps . In addition, some 25,000 Jews were brought from Germany, Austria, and the present-day Czech Republic, of whom around 20,000 were killed. The Holocaust claimed approximately 85,000 lives in Latvia, of whom

4687-583: The Baltic's by settling some 520,000 German settlers there 20–25 years after the war. In 1943 and 1944, two divisions of Latvian Legion were created through a forced mobilization and made a part of the Waffen SS to help Germany against the Red Army . In the middle of 1944, when the Soviet Operation Bagration reached Latvia, heavy fighting took place between German and Soviet troops, which ended with

4796-808: The Central Organizing Committee for Liberated Latvia and the Provisional State Council. Immediately after the installment of Nazi German authority, a process of eliminating the Jewish and Gypsy populations began, with many killings taking place in Rumbula . The killings were committed by the Einsatzgruppe A , the Wehrmacht , and Marines (in Liepāja ), as well as by Latvian collaborators, including

4905-467: The Communist Party began to increase, and by this time, many locally-born communists had achieved positions of power and began advocating a program that centered on ending the inflow of Russian-speaking immigrants, end to the growth of heavy industry, and creating light industries better suited for local needs, increasing the role and power of the locally born communists, enforcing the Latvian language as

5014-426: The Constitution does not contain fundamental human rights. At the same time, the failure to accept Part II of the Satversme is not a deliberate abandonment of the model of the Weimar Constitution, but the reason for not accepting it is a political dispute over the content of individual rights. The Constitution of Latvia is a codified constitution and currently consists of 116 articles arranged in eight chapters: Thus

5123-432: The Constitution, are met. Laws are to be adopted by the Saeima and proclaimed by the President. The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is an independent collegial supreme audit institution, a key element in the State's financial control system serving public interest by providing independent assurance on the effective and useful utilization of central and local government resources. The Constitution establishes

5232-592: The Deportation of Anti-Soviet Elements from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia." During the night of 13–14 June 1941, 15,424 inhabitants of Latvia — including 1,771 Jews and 742 ethnic Russians — were deported to camps and special settlements , mostly in Siberia . While among the deported were such obvious candidates as former politicians, wealthy bourgeois and farmers, police, members of Aizsargi , and NGO leaders, even philatelists and enthusiasts of Esperanto were included in

5341-582: The District of Columbia still permit common-law marriage; but common law marriages are otherwise valid and recognised by and in all jurisdictions whose rules of comity mandate the recognition of any marriage that was legally formed in the jurisdiction where it was contracted. De facto joint custody is comparable to the joint legal decision-making authority a married couple has over their child(ren) in many jurisdictions (Canada as an example). Upon separation, each parent maintains de facto joint custody, until such time

5450-679: The GM of the Baltimore Orioles between 1999 and 2002. Bill Belichick , the former head coach of the New England Patriots in the NFL did not hold the official title of GM, but served as de facto general manager as he had control over drafting and other personnel decisions. Constitution of Latvia Although the initial text consisted of two parts, the second part - which regulated citizens' rights, freedoms and obligations - failed to pass by just

5559-499: The German-Soviet war began, many formed small guerrilla units, attacked the retreating Red Army soldiers and greeted Germans with the flag of independent Latvia. The Nazi invasion launched a week later, cut short immediate plans to deport several hundred thousand more from the Baltic's. Nazi troops occupied Riga on 1 July 1941. During the short interregnum period, Latvians created two bodies that sought to restore independent Latvia:

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5668-444: The Latvian midsummer Jāņi celebrations along with other Latvian traditions and folk customs. In November 1959, Pelše also instigated the purge of "nascent nationalists" from the Latvian government. Almost 2,000 members of the government were removed. Between 1959 and 1968, nearly 130,000 Russian speakers immigrated to Latvia and began working in the large industrial factories that were rapidly built. The newly arrived immigrants were

5777-532: The Latvian territory, with its significant influence on the legal consciousness of the Latvian people , allowed to take over the norms of the Weimar Constitution not only formally, but also to envisage their settlement in the general population and society. German , being one of the working languages in the Constitutional Assembly in Latvia and as a widely known language at that place and time, contributed to

5886-545: The Saeima can forcibly remove a judge from office only upon a decision of the Judicial Disciplinary Board or a judgment of the Court in a criminal case. Under the constitution, the right to legislate has been granted to the Saeima. Draft laws may be submitted to the Saeima by the President, the Cabinet or committees of the Saeima, by more than five MPs or by one-tenth of the electorate if provisions to do so, set out in

5995-569: The Satversme stated the following: There was a considerable amount of discussion in Latvia about the initiative for a Preamble and its contents. For example, some organizations stated that text aims to anchor in the State Constitution an "Ethnic Latvian Nation" as the primary principle of sovereignty, in contrast to the current multi-ethnic country which is composed of the "people of Latvia". Others opposed mentioning of " Christian values " and "Latvian life-wisdom" as outdated and not fitting for

6104-509: The Soviet Union began even before Latvia officially became a part of it. Initially, they were limited to the most prominent political and military leaders like President Kārlis Ulmanis , War Minister Jānis Balodis , and Army Chief Krišjānis Berķis , who were arrested in July 1940. The Soviet NKVD arrested most of the White Russian émigrés , who had found refuge in Latvia. Very soon, purges reached

6213-410: The Soviet Union on the same day. Such a change in the basic constitutional order of the state was illegal under the Constitution of Latvia because such a change could only be enacted after a plebiscite with two-thirds of the electorate's approval. On 5 August, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union completed the annexation process by accepting the Latvian petition and formally incorporating Latvia into

6322-422: The Soviet Union, and in 1940 the Red Army moved into Latvia, effectively annexing it into the Soviet Union. The territory changed hands during World War II, with Nazi Germany occupying a large portion of Latvian territory from 1941 to 1944/1945, before the Soviet Union re-occupied it in 1944 and 1945. The Soviet occupation of the Baltic states from 1939 to 1940 and 1944–1991 is widely considered illegal by

6431-792: The Soviet Union. Some Latvian diplomats stayed in the West, and the Latvian Diplomatic Service continued to advocate the cause of Latvia's freedom for the next 50 years. Following the Soviet pattern, the real power in the republic was in the hands of the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Latvia as the titular head of the republic (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet), and

6540-471: The Soviet Union. At their peak, some 10,000–15,000 partisans in disorganized units fought local battles against Communists, NKVD troops and Soviet government representatives. Forest brothers consisted not only of the former Legionnaires or German supporters but men who were trying to avoid Soviet conscription, dispossessed farmers, and even priests and school pupils who wrote and distributed patriotic leaflets and provided shelter to partisans. Many believed that

6649-491: The Soviet railway carriages were made by Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca and minibuses by Riga Autobus Factory . In 1962, Riga began receiving Russian gas for industrial needs and domestic heating. This allowed large-scale construction of new micro-districts and high-rises to begin. In 1965, the Pļaviņas Hydroelectric Power Station began producing electricity. Since there were not enough people to operate

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6758-674: The Soviets increasingly placed Russians in Party and government leadership positions. Many Russian Latvian Communists who had survived the so-called 1937–38 "Latvian Operation" during the Great Purge were sent back to the homeland of their parents. Most of these Soviets did not speak Latvian, and this only enforced the wall of distrust against the local population. By 1953 Latvia's Communist Party had 42,000 members, half of whom were Latvians. Hundreds of thousands of Russians were moved to Latvia to replace

6867-618: The Soviets were imprisoned or deported to Soviet labor camps (the Gulag ). Some escaped arrest and joined the Forest Brothers . On 25 March 1949, 43,000 primarily rural residents (" kulaks ") were deported to Siberia and northern Kazakhstan in Operation Priboi , which was implemented in all three Baltic States and approved in Moscow already on 29 January 1949. Whole families were arrested, and almost 30% of deported were children under 16. In

6976-472: The Two Sicilies ). The de facto boundaries of a country are defined by the area that its government is actually able to enforce its laws in, and to defend against encroachments by other countries that may also claim the same territory de jure. The Durand Line is an example of a de facto boundary. As well as cases of border disputes , de facto boundaries may also arise in relatively unpopulated areas in which

7085-483: The USSR to establish military bases and station troops on its soil. Latvia was next in line, as the USSR demanded the signing of a similar treaty. The authoritarian government of Kārlis Ulmanis accepted the ultimatum, signing the Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty on 5 October 1939. On 16 June 1940, after the USSR had already invaded Lithuania, it issued an ultimatum to Latvia, followed by

7194-580: The United States (outside of the South) until the 1950s and 1960s was simply discrimination that was not segregation by law (de jure). " Jim Crow laws ", which were enacted in the 1870s, brought legal racial segregation against black Americans residing in the American South . These laws were legally ended in 1964 by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Most commonly used to describe large scale conflicts of

7303-505: The border was never formally established or in which the agreed border was never surveyed and its exact position is unclear. The same concepts may also apply to a boundary between provinces or other subdivisions of a federal state . In South Africa, although de jure apartheid formally began in 1948, de facto racist policies and practices discriminating against black South Africans, People of Colour, and Indians dated back decades before. De facto racial discrimination and segregation in

7412-435: The case of the death of one of the partners. In April 2014, an Australian federal court judge ruled that a heterosexual couple who had a child and lived together for 13 years were not in a de facto relationship and thus the court had no jurisdiction to divide up their property under family law following a request for separation. In his ruling, the judge stated "de facto relationship(s) may be described as 'marriage like' but it

7521-424: The choice of the Weimar Constitution as a system for the Satversme . According to the transcripts of the meetings of the Constitutional Assembly, the deputies of the Constitutional Assembly sometimes referred to Satversme as a derivation of the Weimar Constitution, especially to the draft Part II of the Satversme. Comparing the Weimar Constitution and the Latvian Constitution adopted in 1922, it can be noticed that

7630-413: The constitution as representatives of the people. It is elected in general, equal and direct elections for a term of four years, by secret ballot based on proportional representation of voters in each electoral district. The Constitution describes in general how the Saeima should work, noting that the Saeima should also establish rules of order to regulate its internal operations and order. Executive power

7739-409: The constitution establishes five government bodies - the Saeima, the President, the Cabinet, the Courts and the State Audit Office. Articles 1, 2, 3 and 6, which establish the legal basis of the state's political system, were the first to be adopted after the restoration of independence. These articles, along with articles 4 and 77, can only be amended if submitted to a national referendum: 1. Latvia

7848-572: The constitution of 1922. The rest of the constitution remained in abeyance until it was reviewed to fit the modern situation, thus the constitution was fully reinforced by 5th Saeima on 6 July 1993 in accordance to 14 article of law "On organisation of job of Supreme Council of Republic of Latvia" In 1992 neighboring Estonia voted on a new Constitution of Estonia as did Lithuania with Constitution of Lithuania , as their pre-war constitutions had been written and amended during their authoritarian regimes, while Ulmanis regime had not changed anything in

7957-586: The convicted person to "live out the vast majority of their life in jail prior to their release." A de facto standard is a standard (formal or informal) that has achieved a dominant position by tradition, enforcement, or market dominance. It has not necessarily received formal approval by way of a standardization process, and may not have an official standards document. Technical standards are usually voluntary, such as ISO 9000 requirements, but may be obligatory, enforced by government norms, such as drinking water quality requirements. The term "de facto standard"

8066-475: The declaration; the constitution was fully reintroduced only by the first assembly of the 5th Saeima in 1993. In Latvian, satversme is officially used instead of 'constitution' ( konstitūcija ), while in everyday conversations "konstitūcija" is often used. The word was created by Atis Kronvalds , one of the leaders of the First Latvian National Awakening in the 19th century. The movement

8175-590: The democratic Satversme of 1922. Latvia was one of the early post World War I nations which adopted some ideas from the 1919 Weimar Constitution . Liberal lawyer Hugo Preuß (Preuss) is often attributed as the author of the draft version of the constitution that was passed by the Weimar National Assembly , which historian William L. Shirer in a book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich regards as "the most liberal and democratic document of its kind

8284-602: The first to receive apartments in the newly built micro-districts . Large factories, employing tens of thousands of recently arrived immigrants, and entirely dependent on resources from faraway Soviet regions, produced products – most of which were sent back to other Soviet republics. Many of the new factories were under the All-Union ministry and military jurisdiction, thus operating outside the planned economy of Soviet Latvia. Latvia's VEF and Radiotehnika factories specialized in producing radios, telephones and sound systems. Most of

8393-623: The formal and legal ruler of Chile. Similarly, Saddam Hussein 's formal rule of Iraq is often recorded as beginning in 1979, the year he assumed the Presidency of Iraq . However, his de facto rule of the nation began earlier: during his time as vice president ; he exercised a great deal of power at the expense of the elderly Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr , the de jure president. In Argentina , the successive military coups that overthrew constitutional governments installed de facto governments in 1930–1932 , 1943–1946 , 1955–1958 , 1966–1973 and 1976–1983 ,

8502-471: The functions of Saeima, the President (including prolonging their terms of office from 3 to 4 years) and the Cabinet were made. In 1998, aside from adding chapter eight (fundamental human rights) to the constitution, official status was secured to the Latvian language , the requirement for a referendum to change articles 4 and 77 was made, and article 82 was fully changed; it now defines types of courts in Latvia. In 2002, requirement for members of Saeima to give

8611-685: The head of the executive (the Chairman of the Soviet of the Ministers), were in subordinate positions. Therefore, the history of Soviet Latvia can broadly be divided into the periods of rule by the First Secretaries : Jānis Kalnbērziņš , Arvīds Pelše , Augusts Voss , Boris Pugo . In the following months of 1940, the Soviet Constitution and criminal code (copied from Russian) were introduced. The elections of July 1940 were followed by elections to

8720-423: The international community and human rights organizations. Soviet instability in the 1980s and the dissolution of the Soviet Union provided an opportunity for Latvia to restore its independence. On 24 September 1939, the USSR entered the airspace of Estonia , flying numerous intelligence-gathering operations. On 25 September, Moscow demanded that Estonia sign a Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty to allow

8829-475: The interwar period amendments were rare–only one amendment was made and one major amendment was almost passed, but was never adopted due to the coup. Since the renewal of independence, however, eight amendments have been made. In 1994 the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. In 1996, the Constitutional Court was established. In 1997, major changes to the articles regulating the process of elections and

8938-558: The last of which combined the powers of the presidential office with those of the National Congress . The subsequent legal analysis of the validity of such actions led to the formulation of a doctrine of the de facto governments , a case law ( precedential ) formulation which essentially said that the actions and decrees of past de facto governments, although not rooted in legal legitimacy when taken, remained binding until and unless such time as they were revoked or repealed de jure by

9047-809: The legal authority to exercise power. These individuals are today commonly recorded as the "leaders" of their respective nations; recording their legal, correct title would not give an accurate assessment of their power. Another example of a de facto ruler is someone who is not the actual ruler but exerts great or total influence over the true ruler, which is quite common in monarchies. Some examples of these de facto rulers are Empress Dowager Cixi of China (for son Tongzhi Emperor and nephew Guangxu Emperor ), Prince Alexander Menshikov (for his former lover Empress Catherine I of Russia ), Cardinal Richelieu of France (for Louis XIII ), Queen Elisabeth of Parma (for her husband, King Philip V ) and Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily (for her husband King Ferdinand I of

9156-431: The living standards of the rural population without much increase in production output. Much of the farm produce was still grown on small private plots. To improve rural living standards, a mass campaign was started to liquidate individual family farms and to move people into smaller agricultural towns where they were given apartments. Farmers became paid workers in collective farms. While the early Voss era continued with

9265-601: The long-serving First Secretary of the Party Kalnbērziņš and Prime Minister Vilis Lācis resigned from their posts and were replaced by hardliners. During the next three years, some 2,000 national communists were dismissed from their positions and moved to insignificant posts in the countryside or Russia. The first post-war census in 1959 showed that the number of Latvians since 1935 had declined by 170,000, while Russians had increased by 388,000, Belarusians by 35,000, and Ukrainians by 28,000. Because Latvia had still maintained

9374-559: The lost population (due to war casualties, refugees to the West, and deportees to the East) and to implement a heavy industrialization program. An extensive program of Russification was initiated, limiting the use of Latvian and minority languages. In addition, the Russian people's leading and progressive role throughout Latvian history was heavily emphasized in school books, arts, and literature. The remaining poets, writers, and painters had to follow

9483-526: The meat and dairy output levels of 1940. During the first post-war years, Moscow's control was enforced by the Special Bureau of CPSU Central Committee, led by Mikhail Suslov . To ensure total control over the local Communist party, Ivan Lebedev, a Russian, was elected the Second Secretary. This tradition continued until the end of the Soviet system. The lack of politically reliable local cadres meant

9592-854: The modernizing impulse of the 1960s, a visible stagnation began by the mid-1970s. Prestige high-rise projects in Riga, such as the Hotel Latvija and the Ministry of Agriculture building, took many years to complete. A new international airport and the Vanšu Bridge over Daugava were built. De facto De facto ( / d eɪ ˈ f æ k t oʊ , d i -, d ə -/ day FAK -toh, dee -⁠, də -⁠ ; Latin: [deː ˈfaktoː] ; lit.   ' in fact ' ) describes practices that exist in reality, regardless of whether they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It

9701-614: The newly built factories and expand industrial production, workers outside the Latvian SSR (mainly Russians) were transferred into the country, noticeably decreasing the proportion of ethnic Latvians. The speed of Russification was also influenced by the fact that Riga was the HQ of the Baltic Military District , with active and retired Soviet officers moving there. Increased investments and subsidies for collective farms greatly increased

9810-543: The occupation, the Communist Party of Latvia became the only legal party and presented the " Latvian Working People's Bloc " for the elections. It was the only permitted participant in the election after an attempt by other politicians to include the Democratic Bloc (an alliance of all banned Latvian parties, except the Social Democratic Workers' Party ) on the ballot was prevented by the government. Its office

9919-518: The politically influential officer corps of the Baltic Military District . In 1958 Soviet education law made learning national languages optional. In April 1959, a fact-finding delegation from Soviet Central Committee visited Riga. During Nikita Khrushchev 's visit to Riga in June 1959, hard-line elements complained about the nationalist tendencies in the Party and, with the blessing from Moscow, started purges of national communists and local communists, who had been in power since 1940. In November 1959,

10028-526: The post-war period, Latvia was forced to adopt Soviet farming methods, and the economic infrastructure developed in the 1920s and 1930s was eradicated. Farms belonging to refugees were confiscated, German supporters had their farm sizes sharply reduced, and much of the farmland became state-owned. The remaining farmers' taxes and obligatory produce delivery quotas were increased until individual farming became impossible. Many farmers killed their cattle and moved to cities. In 1948 collectivization began in earnest and

10137-486: The result of: a desire to simplify manufacturing processes & cost-effectiveness ( such as adopting a one size fits all approach ), consumer demand & expectation, or other factors known only to the complier. In prison sentences , the term de facto life sentence (also known as a "virtual" life sentence ) is used to describe a "non-life sentence" that is long enough to end after the convicted person would have likely died due to old age, or one long enough to cause

10246-430: The second part on 5 April 1922 received 62 "Yes" votes, 6 "No" votes and 62 abstentions, which were counted as "No", and therefore was not adopted, mostly because Latgale parties were against it. On 20 June 1922 a law was passed that set the new constitution to come into force at 12 a.m. on 7 November 1922. On 15 May 1934 Latvian coup d'état led by Kārlis Ulmanis took place; the subsequent cabinet of Ulmanis passed

10355-580: The strict canons of socialist realism and live in constant fear of being accused of some ideological mistake that could lead to banning from publication or even arrest. During the short rule of Lavrentiy Beria in 1953, the policy of giving more power to local communists and respecting local languages was introduced. More freedoms came after the 1956 de-Stalinization. Some 30,000 survivors of Soviet deportations began returning to Latvia. Many were barred from working in certain professions or returning to their homes. Soon after Stalin's death number of Latvians in

10464-427: The technology manufactures the related equipment. Meanwhile, a standard technology consists of systems that have been publicly released to a certain degree so that anybody can manufacture equipment supporting the technology. For instance, in cell phone communications, CDMA1X is a de facto technology, while GSM is a standard technology. Examples of a de facto General Manager in sports include Syd Thrift who acted as

10573-424: The three countries. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops entered Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These additional Soviet military forces far outnumbered the armies of each country. The Ulmanis government decided that, in conditions of international isolation and the overwhelming Soviet force both on the borders and inside the country, it was better to avoid bloodshed and unwinnable war. The Latvian army did not fire

10682-448: The twentieth century had ever seen ... full of ingenious and admirable devices which seemed to guarantee the working of an almost flawless democracy.". In Latvia some early law experts such as Kārlis Dišlers, Fēlikss Cielēns and modern day jurists agree that Weimar Constitution was underlying the wording of the Constitution of Latvia (Satversme), and in some way is a synthesis between the Weimar Constitution and Westminster system used in

10791-512: The union of one man and one woman was added. In 2007, article 40 was amended and article 81 was abolished. In 2009, possibility for electorate to dissolve the Parliament was introduced. On 19 June 2014 Preamble of the Constitution of Latvia was adopted by Saeima. Preamble text initially presented by European Court of Justice judge Egils Levits on 2013 described all basic values of the Republic of Latvia and Latvians. Levits draft of preamble to

10900-530: The upper echelons of the puppet government when Minister of Welfare Jūlijs Lācis was arrested. In early 1941, the Soviet central government began planning the mass deportation of anti-Soviet elements from the occupied Baltic states. In preparation, General Ivan Serov , Deputy People's Commissar of Public Security of the Soviet Union, signed the Serov Instructions , "Regarding the Procedure for Carrying out

11009-565: The vast majority were Jews. A large number of Latvians resisted the German occupation. The resistance movement was divided between the pro-independence politicians of the Latvian Central Council and the armed Soviet partisan units under the Latvian Partisan Movement Headquarters (латвийский штаб партизанского движения) in Moscow. Their Latvian commander was Arturs Sproģis . The Nazis planned to Germanize

11118-790: The word satvert (to grasp), adding the -sm- suffix and the feminine ending "-e", creating a word that in its meaning is similar to "holder", to illustrate how a constitution holds together all other laws. Other examples of the use of the word include the Satversme of the University of Latvia and the Constitution Protection Bureau . The Constitution was drafted by the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia ( Satversmes sapulce ), which consisted of 150 members (later 152) elected in April 1920 in general elections. The initial text

11227-631: The world. Because its early forms originated in England in the Middle Ages , this is particularly true in Anglo-American legal traditions and in former colonies of the British Empire , while also playing a role in some countries that have mixed systems with significant admixtures of civil law. Due to Australian federalism , de facto partnerships can only be legally recognised whilst the couple lives within

11336-426: Was closed, election leaflets confiscated, and its leaders arrested. The election results were fabricated; the Soviet press released them so early that they appeared in a London newspaper 24 hours before the polls closed. All Soviet army personnel present in the country were allowed to vote. The newly elected People's Parliament convened on 21 July to declare the creation of the Latvian SSR and request admission to

11445-532: Was elaborated by a Constitutional committee ( Satversmes komisija ) and consisted of two parts. It was influenced by ideas of the Weimar Constitution and the Swiss Federal Constitution . The first regulated the state's institutions; the second, citizens' rights and obligations. The committee presented its work on 20 September 1921. The first part of the bill was passed on 15 February 1922, while

11554-623: Was illegally ceded to the RSFSR . In 1944 the Soviets immediately began to reinstate the Soviet system. After re-establishing military control over the country, in February 1946, elections of the Soviet Union's Supreme Soviet were held, followed, in February 1947, by Latvian Supreme Soviet elections and only in January 1948 elections to the local Soviets. After the German surrender, it became clear that Soviet forces were there to stay, and Latvian national partisans began their fight against another occupier:

11663-522: Was intensified after the March 1949 deportations, and by the end of the year, 93% of farms were collectivized. Collective farming was extremely unprofitable as farmers had to plant and harvest according to the state plan and not the actual harvest conditions. Farmers were paid close to nothing for their produce. Grain production in Latvia collapsed from 1.37 million tons in 1940 to 0.73 million tons in 1950 and 0.43 million tons in 1956. Only in 1965 did Latvia reach

11772-525: Was nullified by Ulmanis' coup d'état, so the People's Saeima never formally annulled it. However, Latvian lawyers and historians observe that the constitution was still in effect, since Ulmanis' declaration only assigned the functions of the Saeima to the cabinet and did not cancel any part of the constitution, and that the People's Saeima was elected in accordance with the constitution of Russian SFSR , not in accordance with that of Latvia, and thus it had no legal rights to legislate, and by declaring accession to

11881-401: Was trying to promote Latvian culture after centuries of Baltic German influence and encourage use of the Latvian language . Kronvalds and like-minded individuals created and introduced many new words and terms intended to be used over Germanic loanwords to modernize Latvian. He derived the term "satversme" from the root -tvert- ("to grip"), combining it with the prefix "sa-", which yields

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