In Latvia, one of the most popular candidates for the upcoming European Parliament elections is Alfreds Rubiks, the former head of his country's Soviet Communist Party in Latvia.

According to recent polls, the Concord Center, Rubiks' pro-Russian language opposition party, is expected to win two seats out of the eight that Latvia has in the European Parliament. None of its competitors is expected to win more than one seat

Rubiks is one of the most well-known public figures from Latvia's Soviet years. The 73-year-old politician was First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in Latvia and head of the Riga city council in the 1980s.

A history of politcal dissidence

Rubiks strongly opposed Latvian independence from the Soviet Union. He was one of the supporters of a Soviet putsch in 1991, an attempt by a group of hard-liners to wrest control of the Soviet Union from President Mikhail Gorbachev. When the putsch failed, Rubiks was imprisoned for six years.

Later, Rubiks was also against Latvia joining the European Union. Now as a candidate for the European Parliament, he has softened his rhetoric and promises to concentrate on issues of social security in Europe.

However, his feelings on the EU remain clear.

"Our country was like a small child that was just about to fall in the river," Rubiks said. "And older people were warning against that. I also thought that Latvia was not ready to join the EU five years ago. Now this child has fallen into the river and it’s time to go and save it."

A representative for the Russian-speaking minority

Concord Center's main supporters are the Russian-speaking voters. Many of them see Rubiks as a man of principle who stood up for his beliefs and their country's only political martyr in recent history. He is perceived as someone who speaks for the Russian-speaking population, Latvian political analyst Viktor Makarov said.

Rubiks might also be being sent off to the European Parliament by his party because Latvian laws do not allow him and other former leaders of the Soviet Communist Party to participate in local parliamentary or municipal elections. A well-paid position in Brussels could also be seen as a tribute to him by his party, political analyst Iveta Kazoka said.

It’s not Rubiks himself that people mostly support, but rather the opposition political party he represents, Kazoka said. His election could be a message of protest against the ruling parties that do not address the needs of the Russian minority.

Artjoms Konohovs / sjt

Editor: Trinity Hartman