Rinkevic’s minister for years
Latvia has a new president
May 31, 2023, 5:20 p.m
“No surprises, no changes, just continuity”: With the current Foreign Minister Rinkevics, a well-known politician is taking over the presidency in Latvia. The 49-year-old has also made a name for himself on the international stage. His country is particularly exposed geopolitically.
Former Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics will become the new President of the Baltic EU and NATO country. In the third ballot, the 49-year-old achieved the absolute majority of the 100 members of parliament. In July, Rinkevics will take up the highest office in the country, which borders Russia and Belarus, with largely representative tasks. He replaces Egils Levits, who is forgoing a second four-year term.
“I will do everything to ensure that our country prospers, that it is safe and that our society is more cohesive,” said Rinkevics in a short speech after his election. At a press conference, he emphasized that Latvia would continue on its clearly Western-oriented foreign policy path and continue to play an active role in the EU and NATO. This includes support for Ukraine and tough policies in the face of Russia’s aggression. “No surprises, no changes, just continuity,” he said.
Rinkevics has been Latvia’s foreign minister since 2011 – longer than anyone before him. Internationally, he made a name for himself as a committed representative of the interests of his home country, which is particularly exposed in the geopolitical confrontation with Russia due to its location on NATO’s eastern flank. Away from the political arena, he made headlines in 2014 when he became the first leading politician in Latvia and all of Eastern Europe to make his homosexuality public.
Before the vote, Rinkevics was considered the most promising of the three candidates. Still, his election was far from certain, as the ruling tripartite alliance was at odds over the presidential election. In the end, he received 52 out of 87 valid votes, beating his two competitors. It is not yet clear who will succeed Rinkevics as foreign minister. Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced that he intends to hold talks with the coalition partners soon. “I am losing an excellent foreign minister, but we are gaining an excellent president,” he said. Latvia will be in safe hands for the next four years.