Latvia for the next 45 years. The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the Communist regime's illegal takeover. It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990, and restoring "de facto" independence on 21 August 1991. Latvia is a democratic sovereign state, parliamentary republic and a very highly developed country according to the United Nations Human Development Index. Its capital Riga served as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into
State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia (SAO: ) is a public auditing body overseeing the finances of national and local government in Latvia. It was first created in 1918, and re-established in 1992 when Latvia again became independent. According to the Constitution and the Law of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia, is an independent collegial institutional body in the Republic of Latvia and is subject only to the Law. Its task is to monitor the state and local government funds for legitimate, effective and efficient