At stake in this Referendum:

• This referendum asked voters whether Latvia should seek membership to join the European Union (EU).

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Einars REPSE
• Assembly: Latvia has a unicameral Parliament (Saeima) with 100 seats.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• Referendum on Latvia's entry into the European Union The referendum asked voters: "Do you support the membership of Latvia in the European Union?"

Electoral requirement:

• In order for the referendum to be valid, the number of voters had to be at least 1/2 of the number that voted in the 2002 parliamentary election.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,366,515 (July 2002 est.)
• Registered Voters: 1,388,875 ( 2002 approx.)

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,287,955 (2003)
• Registered Voters: 1,395,287 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,237,490 (2003)

·         Is Latvia a signatory to CEDAW: N/A

·         Has Latvia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (14 April 1992)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 21 (following the 2002 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 46 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Latvia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (18 July 2008)

·         Has Latvia ratified CRPD: Yes (1 March 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 343,193 (est.)