The current President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis (born June 15, 1966) has been in office since July 2015. He is a member of the Green Party, which is part of the Union of Greens and Peasants. Previously held various ministerial posts, was a member of the Latvian Seimas.
A few words about the Latvian Presidency
It originates from the twenties of the last century, when in November 1922 the first Saeima (Parliament) was elected with an overwhelming majority of votes "for" the first president of Latvia Janis Cakste. All subsequent leaders of the state were elected by the parliament, except for the authoritarian leader K. Ulmanis, the prime minister, who in the mid-thirties also appointed himself president. What people are known as presidents of Latvia? A list of them with an indication of the period in office is given below:
- I. Chakste (1922-14-11 - 1927-14-03).
- G. Zemgals (8.04.1927 – 9.04.1930).
- A. Kvesis (1930-09-04 - 1936-11-04).
- K. Ulmanis (1936-11-04 - 1940-21-08).
- G. Ulmanis (1993-07-08 - 1999-17-06).
- B. Vike Freiberg (17.06.1999 -2007-07-08).
- B. Zatlers (8.06.2007 – 7.08.2011).
- A. Berzins (2011-08-08 - 2015-07-08).
- R. Vejonis (2015-08-08 - present).
Origin and childhood
Where was the current president of Latvia born? The biography of R. Vejonis began in the Pskov region, where his pregnant Russian mother came to visit her Latvian father while he was serving in the Soviet Army.
As the president himself testifies, his mother simply miscalculated when she went to see her father, so the birth of a baby was a pleasant surprise for parents.
He grew up in a rural area in Latvia, and attended school in a small town Madona. As a child, Raymonds became interested in protecting the environment after his grandfather became blind as a result of exposure to chemical pesticides (weed control agents used on the collective farm where he worked).
Education and early career
The current President of Latvia graduated from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia in 1989 and received his master's degree in 1995. After his studies, he worked as a biology teacher in Madona for about a year. In 1989, unexpectedly for himself, he was appointed to the newly created department of the Committee for the Environment of Madona as deputy head. Raimonds initially had to organize the work of the committee, select and renovate the premises, even act as its interior designer.
Soon he became a member of the Madona City Duma, where he worked from 1990 to 1993. WithFrom 1996 to 2002, he was the director of the Riga Regional Ecological Council, during this period he was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Skulte port and served as a state representative in the management company for the collection and disposal of waste "Getlini Eco". Member of the Green Party since 1990.
A decade in one ministerial post
Future President of Latvia Vējonis became Minister of Environment and Regional Development on November 7, 2002. In 2003, when the Ministry was divided into two separate departments with the allocation of the Ministry of Regional Development, he remained the Minister of the Environment and sat in this position for several governments until 2011, when both departments were again merged into one. Then he again headed the united Ministry.
For almost a decade in the ministerial post, Vējonis was not seen in a single corruption scandal.
Member of Parliament
Vējonis lost his position on October 25, 2011, when a new government was formed after parliamentary elections, in which members of his Union of Greens and Peasants were not included. He continued his political career as an MP. How a parliamentarian promoted a law banning the sale of energy drinks to young people under 18. At the same time, R. Vejonis was not distinguished by his commitment to discipline, attending only 70% of the sessions of the Seimas of the 11th convocation.
Defense Minister
In 2014 he becameMinister of Defense after the coalition government of Laimdota Straujuma came into being. He was an active supporter of the deployment of NATO bases in the territory of Latvia, lobbied for the deployment of American units in the country. At the same time, he spoke out against even the fundamental possibility of a new big war, since, in his opinion, Latvia would not be able to survive in it.
Vjonis did not allow himself harsh anti-Russian attacks, although he gained fame thanks to his promise to shoot all the "little green men" if they enter the territory of Latvia. So in his country he is known as a patriot.
President of Latvia
He was elected President of Latvia on June 3, 2015. The elections were held for a long time, for 9 hours. At first, out of 100 deputies of the Seimas, only 35 deputies voted for his candidacy, but by the fifth vote, their number had increased to 55 representatives of different parties. In his inaugural speech, Vejonis pledged to ensure national security in light of events in Ukraine, while at the same time protecting the environment. What does the current president of Latvia look like? The photo below was taken after he was elected to this post.
It is known that for a long time the Latvian authorities have attracted foreign investors to their country in residential real estate. At the same time, all those who bought a house or apartment worth more than a certain threshold were issued residence permits, with which they could travel throughout the European Union. Over the past decade, this offer of the Latvian authorities has been used by manywe althy Russians.
Several years ago, the threshold for the value of real estate for obtaining a residence permit was significantly increased, thereby the authorities are trying to limit the immigration of Russians into the country. The well-developed real estate community and the real estate business are protesting against this policy. However, President Vējonis is in favor of maintaining the high threshold, considering it a measure aimed at the country's security.
Obviously, as the president of the country, he is in his place. An experienced politician with many years of experience in government, he avoids scandals and knows how to find agreements. An important plus is his commitment to family values and the lack of desire for personal enrichment. With his wife Iveta, a teacher by profession, he has been married for 29 years. They have two sons. At the same time, the Veyonis couple lives in a modest apartment. All the years of his government and parliamentary activity, he lived on one salary.
