VOTE SHORTAGE KILLS REFERENDUM.

Nearly 320,000 people cast votes on Nov. 13 against controversial changes to Latvia_s pension law in a referendum that does not count. Parliamentary opposition parties garnered support for the referendum in response to changes offered by the ruling coalition last August that would have bumped up the retirement age and frozen payments to working pensioners among other reforms aimed at trimming a growing budget deficit. Voters were asked whether the amendments should be vetoed. Most said "yes," but not enough. To be enforced, at least half the voters from the last parliamentary election had to show up at the polls Saturday - 482,334 voters - but only 339,614 turned out, or about 25 percent of registered voters. Preliminary totals show 319,881 voting in favor of tossing the stricter amendments while 18,289 voted to keep them. In poorer areas like the Latgale region in eastern Latvia, where many rely on pensions as their only form of income, a higher percentage of voters turned out than were needed. Polls in Daugavpils, the largest city in Latgale, drew 50 percent more than needed to fulfill the quorum. Latgale as a whole attracted 18 percent more voters than needed but was overshadowed by a low turnout elsewhere, including the capital city of Riga. In wealthier communities, like the port city of Ventspils, voter turnout was barely a quarter of the votes needed to make the referendum stick. The ruling coalition, which called the referendum a pointless political ploy, offered softer compromise amendments Nov. 4 that will take effect later this month. Despite those amendments, which easily passed Parliament more than a week before the Nov. 13 vote, opposition parties, led by the Social Democrats, continued to publicize the referendum with posters and direct mail fliers.