President of Latvia

head of state of the Republic of Latvia

The president of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Valsts prezidents, literally "State President") is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia.

President of the Republic of Latvia
Latvijas Valsts prezidents
Presidential Standard
Incumbent
Edgars Rinkēvičs

since 8 July 2023
ResidenceRiga Castle
Riga
AppointerSaeima
Term lengthFour years
renewable once, consecutively
Inaugural holderJānis Čakste
14 November 1922
FormationConstitution of Latvia
Salary~ 54,732[1]
Websitewww.president.lv
Parties

  DC   LSDSP   LZS   LTF   LC   ZZS   LZP   None   LV

Status
  Acting President
No. Name
(Birth–Death)
Portrait Term of office Political party
1 Jānis Čakste
(1859–1927)[n 1]
  17 December 1918 14 November 1922 Democratic Centre
14 November 1922 14 March 1927 (died)
Pauls Kalniņš
(1872–1945)[n 2]
14 March 1927 8 April 1927 Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party[2]
2 Gustavs Zemgals
(1871–1939)
  8 April 1927 4 September 1930 Democratic Centre
3 Alberts Kviesis
(1881–1944)
  4 September 1930 15 May 1934 Latvian Farmers' Union
(3) 16 May 1934 10 April 1936 Independent
4 Kārlis Ulmanis
(1877–1942)[n 3]
  11 April 1936 21 July 1940 Independent
Occupation of Latvia (21 July 1940 – 21 August 1991)
Anatolijs Gorbunovs
(born 1942)[n 4]
  21 August 1991 13 February 1993 Popular Front of Latvia
(—) 13 February 1993 8 July 1993 Latvian Way
5 Guntis Ulmanis
(born 1939)
  8 July 1993 8 July 1999 Latvian Farmers' Union
6 Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
(born 1937)
  8 July 1999 8 July 2007 Independent
7 Valdis Zatlers
(born 1955)
  8 July 2007 8 July 2011 Independent
8 Andris Bērziņš
(born 1944)
  8 July 2011 8 July 2015 Union of Greens and Farmers[n 5]
9 Raimonds Vējonis
(born 1966)
  8 July 2015 8 July 2019 Latvian Green Party
10 Egils Levits
(born 1955)
  8 July 2019 8 July 2023 Independent
11 Edgars Rinkēvičs
(born 1973)
  8 July 2023 Incumbent Unity

Living former presidents

change

There are seven living former Latvian Presidents:

  1. Upon Latvian independence on 17 December 1918, Jānis Čakste was head of state as Chairman of Tautas padome (1918–20) and Speaker of the Constitutional Assembly (1920–22), until he was elected President by the first Saeima on 14 November 1922.
  2. Upon Čakste's death, Speaker of the Saeima Pauls Kalniņš was acting president from 14 March 1927 to 8 April 1927.
  3. Upon the expiration of Kviesis's term, Prime minister Kārlis Ulmanis illegally merged the Presidency and the Premiership, holding both offices himself. After the Soviet occupation Prime Minister Augusts Kirhenšteins was the illegitimate Acting President from 21 July to 25 August 1940
  4. After the restoration of Latvian independence, speaker of the Latvian parliament Anatolijs Gorbunovs was acting president from 21 August 1991 to 8 July 1993.
  5. Bērziņš is not a member of parties forming the Union of Greens and Farmers, however he ran for the Saeima from their list and was a member of their parliamentary group at the time of his election.

References

change
  1. "Informācija par amatpersonu (darbinieku) darba samaksas apmēru sadalījumā pa amatu grupām". president.lv. 28 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2019. (in Latvian)
  2. Šiliņš, Jānis (30 May 2018). "Things to know about the split among the early Latvian leftists". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved 2 June 2018.