Latvian Riga Cathedral referendum, 1931

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A referendum on the transfer of Riga Cathedral to the Lutheran Church was held in Latvia on 5 and 6 September 1931. [1] Following a 1923 referendum the Lutheran Church had been forced to share the cathedral with the Roman Catholic Church. [2] The referendum was passed by a large margin, and despite a voter turnout of only 32%, the government decided to proceed with the legislation. [3] The outcome of the referendum led to an increase in the popularity of civic parties in the parliamentary elections in October. [3]

Riga Cathedral Church in Riga, Latvia

Riga Cathedral is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Riga.

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia Christian denomination

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia is a Lutheran Protestant church in Latvia. Latvia's Lutheran heritage dates back to the Reformation. Both the Nazi and communist regimes persecuted the church harshly before religious freedom returned to Latvia in 1988. Unlike Estonia, where state atheism and the ongoing European secularization reduced the once 80% Lutheran majority to almost 10% by 2011, the Latvian Lutheran church had dropped to around 20% but has recovered slightly and now includes approximately 30% of the population.

Latvia republic in Northeastern Europe

Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Since its independence, Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi). The country has a temperate seasonal climate.

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For380,71497.87
Against8,2672.13
Invalid/blank votes1,179
Total390,160100
Registered voters/turnout1,217,91432.03
Source: Direct Democracy

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1122 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Hiden, J (2004) Defender of minorities: Paul Schiemann, 1876-1944, p92
  3. 1 2 Nohlen & Stöver, p1135