The current president of Latvia, Raimonds Vejonis (born June 15, 1966), has been at his post since July 2015. He is a member of the Green Party, a member of the Union of Greens and Peasants. Previously held various ministerial posts, was a deputy of the Latvian Sejm.
A few words about the Latvian Presidency Institute
It originates from the twenties of the last century, when in November 1922 the first President of Latvia, Janis Chakste, was elected the first Sejm (parliament) with an overwhelming majority of votes “for”. 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 appointed himself also as president. What kind of people are known as presidents of Latvia? A list of them with an indication of the period of office is given below:
- J. Chakste (11/14/1922 - 03/14/1927).
- G. Zemgals (04/08/1927 - 04/09/1930).
- A. Kvesis (04/09/1930 - 04/11/1936).
- K. Ulmanis (04/11/1936 - 08/21/1940).
- G. Ulmanis (08/07/1993 - 06/17/1999).
- V. Vike-Freiberga (June 17, 1999 - August 7, 2007).
- V. Zatlers (June 8, 2007 - August 7, 2011).
- A. Berzins (08/08/2011 - 08/07/2015).
- R. Veyonis (08/08/2015 - to the present).
Origin and childhood
Where was the current president of Latvia born? The biography of R. Veyonis began in the Pskov region, where his pregnant Russian mother came to visit his Latvian father, while he served in the Soviet Army.
As the president himself testifies, his mother simply miscalculated when she went to her father, so the birth of a baby was a pleasant surprise for parents.
He grew up in rural Latvia, and attended school in the small town of Madona. Already in his childhood, Raimonds became interested in protecting the environment after his grandfather went blind as a result of exposure to chemical pesticides (weed control products that were used on the collective farm where he worked).
Education and career start
The current president of Latvia graduated from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia in 1989 and received a master's degree in 1995. After studying, he worked for about a year as a biology teacher in Madona. In 1989, unexpectedly for himself, he was appointed to the newly created department of the Madona Environment Committee as deputy chief. At first Raymond had to organize the work of the committee, select and repair the premises, and even act as a designer of his interiors.
Soon he became a deputy of the Madona City Council, where he worked from 1990 to 1993. From 1996 to 2002, he was the director of the Riga Regional Environmental Council, during this period he was also a member of the Board of Directors of the port of Skulte and served as the state representative at the Getlini Eco waste management company. Since 1990, has been a member of the Green Party.
Decade in one ministerial post
The future president of Latvia, Vejonis, became Minister of the Environment and Regional Development on November 7, 2002. In 2003, when the Ministry was divided into two separate departments with the separation of the Ministry of Regional Development, he remained the Minister of the Environment and served in this post several governments until 2011, when both departments were again merged into one. Then he again headed the united Ministry.
For almost a decade at the ministerial post, Veyonis has not been seen in any corruption scandal.
Member of parliament
Vejonis lost his post on October 25, 2011, when after the parliamentary elections a new government was formed, in which members of his Union of "greens" and peasants were not included. He continued his political career as a member of parliament. As a parliamentarian promoted the law banning the sale of energy drinks to youth under 18 years of age. At the same time, R. Vejonis was not distinguished by his commitment to discipline, he attended only 70% of the meetings of the Sejm of the 11th convocation.
Minister of Defense
In 2014, he became Minister of Defense after the Coalition Government of Laimdota Straujuma emerged. He was an active supporter of the deployment of NATO bases in 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 could not survive in it.
Veyonis did not allow himself sharp anti-Russian attacks, although he gained fame thanks to his promise to shoot all the "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. Initially, out of 100 deputies of the Sejm, only 35 deputies voted for his candidacy, but by the fifth ballot their number had increased to 55 representatives of different parties. In his inaugural speech, Vejonis promised to ensure national security in the light of events in Ukraine, while protecting the environment. What does the current president of Latvia look like? The photo below was taken after his election to this post.
It is known that for a long time the Latvian authorities attracted foreign investors in residential real estate to their country. At the same time, everyone who bought a house or apartment with a value above a certain threshold was given residence permits with which you could travel throughout the European Union. Over the past decade, many wealthy Russians have taken advantage of this proposal by the Latvian authorities.
A few 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 to the country. A well-developed real estate community and a real estate business are protesting against this policy. However, President Vejonis advocated maintaining a high threshold, considering it a measure aimed at the country's security.
Obviously, he, as president of the country, is in its place. An experienced politician with many years of experience in government, he avoids scandals and knows how to find an agreement. An important plus is its 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 live in a modest apartment. All the years of his government and parliamentary activities, he lived on one salary.