Relations between Russia and the Baltic country have been tense over the treatment of the ethnic Russian minority and Latvia's claims for compensation for what calls the Soviet occupation.
"A substantial part of our population to a greater or less degree knows Russian and uses it ... because knowledge of Russian is helpful both in everyday life and in business," said Janis Urbanovich, head of the National Accord faction.
He said Russian was widely used in Latvia, so grating it an official status would only formalize its position.
If Russian, which is the mother tongue for 40% of the population, is officially recognized as an ethnic minority language, it could be used in educational establishments, including schools and kindergartens.
