Latvia is set to vote in a referendum on Saturday on whether to adopt Russian as a second official language in the country, which could also mean a potential official EU status for Russian.

Saturday's referendum in Latvia is deemed likely to reject the change, but the vote nevertheless reveals a deep divide among Latvia's population, DPA reported Friday.

During the Cold War era, the idea of Russian being an official language in a EU country would have sounded like science fiction - but the idea is no longer far-fetched, the German press agency says in an overview.

Around a third of Latvia's 2.3 million residents - and nearly every second inhabitant in the capital Riga - are of Russian origin.

The vote was initiated by a citizens' movement called Mother Tongue. The movement has the backing of Moscow.

"The vote is not only about language," organizer Vladimir Linderman says. "It is about honour," he insists.

Latvian residents of Russian origin do not want to be second-class citizens, Linderman says. "We believe we have equal rights."

"These people want to be heard and to be respected. They want to raise their children in their own language," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raid.

In Soviet times, the Kremlin settled Russians strategically in Latvia, where life had a predominantly Russian flair.

But after becoming independent in 1991, Latvians wanted to rid themselves of all vestiges of what many of them regarded as Soviet occupation. The Latvian language, which had long been neglected, was made the sole official language.

Anyone who wants to become a Latvian citizen has to pass a language test. As a result, around 15% of the population are so-called "non-citizens," usually from Russia. They have residence permits, but fewer rights.

Most Latvian politicians reject the idea of automatically granting citizenship to the Russian-speaking population, or of adopting Russian as an official language. Parliament President Solvita Aboltina says: "Latvia would be a different state, if Latvian was no longer the only official language."

President Andris Berzins has even threatened to resign, should Russian become the second official language.

Language, however, is not the only issue. The pro-Russian, centre-left Harmony Center political alliance sees the referendum also as a protest against ethnic discrimination. Harmony Centre recently emerged from parliamentary elections as the largest party, but was excluded from government.

At least half of the 1.5-million electorate would have to vote in the referendum in order to amend the Latvian constitution.

Surveys show that only about 25% of Latvians favour Russian as the second official language, while some 60% oppose it.

In December, Latvia's parliament rejected a bill which would have made Russian the second official language. It also rejected a compromise proposed by Harmony Center, which would have allowed Russian to be spoken when dealing with the communal administration.

The European Union could start speaking in Russian, if a referendum in Latvia on Saturday succeeds in making it the second official language of the country, the European Commission acknowledged on the eve of the vote.

When a language becomes official, the EU has to translate all its documents into it and offer interpretation. Currently there are 23, but ordinary EU business is conducted either in French, English or German.

If Latvian citizens choose to make Russian a second official language in their country, their government could ask for it to be granted the same status in the EU, commission spokesman Dennis Abbott told reporters in Brussels.

However, it is not automatic, he pointed out - mentioning the precedent of Spain and Britain which recognize languages other than Spanish and English in their territory, such as Catalan and Welsh, but have not asked for their EU-level recognition.

Introducing Russian to EU institutions would be politically sensitive for former Soviet bloc members of the union.

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