Latvia vote exercise in democracy or futility?

RIGA, July 7 (Reuters) Latvians voted today in a referendum which some of them saw as a key exercise in democracy and others as a waste of time and money.

The referendum, the first such in the Baltic state's post-Soviet history, was called after a dispute between popular outgoing president, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, and Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis over two national security laws.

The law change, which Vike-Freiberga said gave too many people access to state secrets, would worry NATO allies and increase the influence of powerful businessmen, has already been repealed. In that sense, the vote is useless.

But backers of the referendum, which fell on Vike-Freiberga's last day in office, say it has a democratic goal to stop further security law changes and allow critics of the Kalvitis government to show their opposition.

''It is important that the nation gives a very strong signal to the government and parliament that they cannot do everything they want for four years and not react to anything until the next elections,'' Vike-Freiberga told newspaper Diena.

Another daily, Dienas Bizness, called the referendum a ''horribly expensive opinion poll'', noting it had cost 2.5 million Latvian lats (.88 million) to hold.

''The most paradoxical thing is the fact that the result of the vote does not matter at all...,'' it said.

It also saw little chance that Kalvitis would resign if the referendum confirmed the president's rejection of his laws.

Vike-Freiberga, a political novice when she became president 8 years ago, grew to one of Latvia's most popular leaders. Many people will likely go to vote because she has urged them to.

She will be replaced on Sunday by Valdis Zatlers, a top surgeon who was backed by Kalvitis's four-party coalition.

To be valid, the referendum needs at least 453,730 people to vote. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) and by midday turnout was just over 138,000, or 9.5 percent of eligible voters. The poll ends at 10 p.m. with a preliminary result due at midnight.

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