President of Latvia
The president of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Valsts prezidents lit. 'State President of Latvia') is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia.[2]
President of the Republic of Latvia
Mr. President (informal)
His Excellency (diplomatic)
Four years, renewable once consecutively
14 November 1922
€54,732 annually[1]
The term of this office is four years. Before 1999, it was three years. The president may be elected any number of times, but not more than twice in a row.[3] In the event of the vacancy in the office of the president, the speaker of the Saeima assumes the duties of the president. For example, after the death of Jānis Čakste, Pauls Kalniņš, the speaker of the Saeima, was acting president briefly in 1927 until a new president could be elected.
The president is not a fully executive post, as is the case with the president of Lithuania. However, unlike the president of Estonia, his role is not entirely ceremonial. Under the constitution of Latvia, the president shares executive power with the cabinet and prime minister. However, the president is not politically responsible for carrying out his duties. His orders are not valid without the countersignature of a member of the cabinet – usually the prime minister.[2]
The current president is Edgars Rinkēvičs, former Latvian foreign minister, who was elected by the Saeima on 31 May 2023 after three rounds of voting, and began his four-year term on 8 July 2023.[4] This made Rinkēvičs the first openly gay head of state of any EU member state.
Incumbency[edit]
Term limit[edit]
The Saeima elects the president for a term of four years (Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia). The same person must not hold office as president for more than eight consecutive years.
Vacancies and succession[edit]
If the president resigns from office, dies or is removed from office before their term has ended in such cases, the chairperson of the Saeima assumes the duties of the president until the Saeima has elected a new president. Similarly, the chairperson of the Saeima assumes the duties of the president if the latter is away from Latvia or is unable to fulfil the duties of the office or any other reason.
Upon the proposal of not less than half of all of the members of the Saeima, the Saeima may decide, in a closed session and with a majority vote of not less than two-thirds of all of its Members, to remove the president from office.
If the president has initiated the dissolution of the Saeima, but more than half of the votes are cast against the dissolution of the Saeima in the referendum, then the president shall be deemed to be removed from office, and the Saeima shall elect a new president to serve for the remaining term of office of the president so removed.