Popular Front From 1988 To 1990
This resurgence created several political organizations devoted to increased autonomy or independence for Latvia. Tautas Fronte was the biggest organization. It was founded on October 9, 1988. Originally, Tautas Fronte took a moderate position, requesting wide autonomy for Latvia but stopping short of calling for independence. Tautas Fronte was supported by moderate members of the leadership of the Latvian SSR including head of state Anatolijs Gorbunovs, but opposed by hardline Communists.
Tautas Fronte quickly grew to 250,000 members. Its goal was to create a wide coalition devoted to autonomy or independence of Latvia. As 48% of Latvia's population was ethnically non-Latvian (mostly people who had moved to Latvia from other parts of the Soviet Union), Tautas Fronte reached out to ethnic minorities. In particular, it advocated school education in languages other than Latvian and Russian to attract the support of non-Russian minorities. At the same time, Tautas Fronte worked with more radical Latvian movements advocating the independence of Latvia.
Gradually, the overall opinion within Tautas Fronte shifted from the autonomy of Latvia within the Soviet Union to full independence. On May 31, 1989, it announced that the government of the Soviet Union had not been sympathetic enough to Latvia gaining autonomy and an independent Latvia had become the only option.
In 1989 and 1990, the first free elections were held in Latvia since Kārlis Ulmanis' coup–d'etat in 1934. The most important were the elections to the Supreme Soviet, the parliament of the Latvian SSR, on March 18, 1990. A pro-independence coalition, led by Tautas Fronte, won 138 out of 201 seats in Supreme Soviet, more than the 2/3 majority needed to amend the Constitution. Constituency borders were a cause for allegations of gerrymandering in favour of PFL.
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