On 31 May, the 100 MPs of the Saeima, Latvia’s Parliament, elected Edgars Rinkevics as President of the Republic. Rinkevics was elected with 52 votes from the New Unity (JV) party, 16 from the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), and 10 from the Progressives (PRO). His opponent, Uldis Pilens, received 25 votes from his party, 9 from Latvia First (LPV), and one from Non-attached MP Glorija Grevcova. The National Alliance (AN) and For Stability! (S!), a populist party formed from a split with the Russian-speaking Harmony (S) party led by Aleksejs Rosikovs, had chosen not to support any of the candidates. The Union of Greens and Farmers and Progressives have negotiated their support for Rinkevics in exchange for a place in government, and he will officially begin his four-year term on 8 July.
Edgars Rinkevics, a 49-year-old politician from Jurmalam was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2011, retaining that post until now. He was congratulated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who described him as „a true friend of Ukraine”. Rinkevics studied history and philosophy at the University of Latvia and political science and international relations at the University of Groningen. He began his career as a journalist specialising in foreign policy at Latvia’s public radio.
