The president of Latvia ( ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia.
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. 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.
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. This made Rinkēvičs the first openly gay head of state of any EU member state.
History and development The establishment of the institution of the president of Latvia was envisioned by the Satversme (Constitution) of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Constitutional Assembly on 15 February 1922. Before the Satversme took effect, there was no separate office of President of Latvia. The Chairperson of the Parliament undertook the duties of the head of state.
According to the first provisional constitution, the Political Platform of the People's Council of Latvia adopted on 17 November 1918 (), its Chairman Jānis Čakste assumed the functions of the head of state from the day the Republic of Latvia was proclaimed until the day of the convention of the Constitutional Assembly. The second provisional constitution, the Provisional Regulations on the Political System of the Republic of Latvia of 1 June 1920 (), set forth that Čakste, as the president of the Constitutional Assembly, fulfilled the functions of the head of state until the Satversme took legal effect and the Saeima (Parliament) convened. This was also confirmed by the Law on the Satversme of the Republic of Latvia of 20 June 1922 ().
On 14 November 1922, the 1st convocation of the Saeima elected Čakste as president of the Republic of Latvia, delivering his oath of office during Independence Day on 18 November. Čakste was re-elected as president by the 2nd Saeima on 6 November 1925, with him repeating his oath on November 8.
After Čakste died on 14 March 1927, the 2nd Saeima elected Gustavs Zemgals as president on 8 April 1927, delivering the oath of office the same day. Zemgals refused to run for a second term, and the 3rd Saeima elected Alberts Kviesis as president on 9 April 1930, who was sworn in on April 11. Kviesis was re-elected as president of Latvia by the 4th Saeima on 4 April 1933, and repeated his oath on April 11.
Kviesis remained as president after the anti-constitutional coup d’état of 15 May 1934, and while condemning the coup, did not interfere with the replacement of a democratic parliamentary republic with an authoritarian political system. When the second term of Kviesis as president was approaching its end, the Cabinet of Ministers passed the Law on the Execution of the President's Office of 12 March 1936 (). It decreed that after the Kviesis' second term expired on 11 April 1936, Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis would undertake the position until the 'completion of the constitutional reform'. Under this law, the posts of the president of Latvia and prime minister were merged on 11 April 1936, with Kārlis Ulmanis de facto remaining in these offices until the Soviet occupation of the Republic of Latvia on 17 June 1940.
The Soviet Union's aggression, as well as the occupation and unlawful incorporation of the Baltic states into the USSR in 1940, did not lead to changes in official Latvian law, as the USSR had violated the norms of international law and the fundamental laws of the Republic of Latvia. Thus, the Republic of Latvia continued to exist as a recognized subject of international law throughout the years of occupation. During that period, the Foreign Service of the Republic of Latvia continued to represent the Republic of Latvia in exile, which continued to operate until the restoration of the independence of Latvia.
During the occupation, there were attempts to restore the independence of Latvia and establish a government. At the meeting of the Latvian Central Council on 8 September 1944, it adopted a Declaration on the Restoration of the State of Latvia (), by which the Speaker of the last legally elected Saeima, Pauls Kalniņš, became acting president of Latvia. After the death of Kalniņš on 26 August 1945, the Latvian Central Council announced on 26 April 1947 that according to the Satversme, the powers of the Speaker and the acting president of Latvia were taken over by Vice-Speaker of the Saeima, Bishop until his death on 2 December 1969.
After the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Latvia in 1990, a separate post of President of Latvia was not created immediately. During the transition period, the Chairperson of the Supreme Council of Latvia, Anatolijs Gorbunovs, undertook the duties of the head of state until the full restoration of the Satversme and the convening of the 5th convocation of the Saeima. The Law on the Organization of the Work of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia Until the Convening of the Saeima () of 25 August 1992 and the Law on the Head of State of the Republic of Latvia Before the Gathering of the Saeima () of 15 September 1992 served as the legal foundation of the interim office.
With the restoration of the Satversme in full and the first session of the Saeima at noon on 6 July 1993, the office of president was also reinstated. On 7 July 1993, the 5th Saeima elected Guntis Ulmanis as president of Latvia, who delivered the oath of office the next day, and the 6th Saeima re-elected Ulmanis on 18 June 1996, who was sworn in on July 8, which became the traditional date on which the oath of office is delivered.
The 7th Saeima elected Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga as the first female President on 17 June 1999, and was resoundingly re-elected by the 8th Saeima on 20 June 2003. The 9th Saeima chose Valdis Zatlers as president on 31 May 2007. Zatlers became the first sitting President to be defeated in his re-election bid, with the 10th Saeima picking Andris Bērziņš on 2 June 2011. He was succeeded by Raimonds Vējonis, elected by the Saeima on 3 June 2015. Both Bērziņš and Vējonis did not decide to run for re-election.
Duties and rights
The powers of the president conferred to them by the Constitution
The president represents Latvia in international relations, appoints the diplomatic representatives of Latvia, and also receives diplomatic representatives of other countries. The president implements the decisions of the Saeima concerning the ratification of international agreements (Article 41 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Latvia. During wartime, the president appoints a Supreme Commander (Article 42 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president shall declare war by a decision of the Saeima. (Article 43 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president has the right to take whatever steps are necessary for the military defence of the State should another state declare war on Latvia or an enemy invade its borders. Concurrently and immediately, the president shall convene the Saeima, which shall decide as to the declaration and commencement of the war. (Article 44 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president has the right to grant clemency to criminals against whom the judgment of the court has come into legal effect. The extent of, and procedures for, the utilisation of this right shall be set out in a specific law (Article 45 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president has the right to convene and preside over extraordinary meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers and to determine the agenda of such meetings. (Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president as well as the prime minister, or not less than one-third of the members of the Saeima may request that the Presidium convene sittings of the Saeima (Article 20 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
At the request of the president, ten members of the Saeima, the prime minister, or a minister, the Saeima may decide by a majority vote of not less than two-thirds of the members present to sit in closed session (Article 22 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president is entitled to propose the dissolution of the Saeima. Following this proposal, a national referendum is to be held. If in the referendum more than half of the votes are cast in favour of dissolution, the Saeima is to be considered dissolved, new elections called, and such elections held no later than two months after the date of the dissolution of the Saeima (Article 48 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
If the Saeima has been dissolved, the mandate of the members of the Saeima continues to be in effect until the newly elected Saeima has convened, but the dissolved Saeima may only hold sittings at the request of the president. The president shall determine the agenda of such sittings (Article 49 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president does not bear political responsibility for the fulfilment of presidential duties. All orders of the president are jointly signed by the prime minister or by the appropriate minister, who thus assumes full responsibility for such orders except the order on the dissolution of the Saeima (Article 48 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia) and invitation of the candidate for the office of the prime minister (Article 56 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
Membership of the Cabinet of Ministers is determined by the person who is asked to do so by the president (Article 56 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
Powers of the president in the area of legislation The president has the right to initiate legislation. (Article 47 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president proclaims laws passed by the Saeima not earlier than the tenth day and not later than the twenty-first day after the law has been adopted. The law comes into force fourteen days after its proclamation unless a different term has been specified in the law (Article 69 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
Within ten days of the adoption of the law by the Saeima, the president may require that a law is reconsidered using a written and reasoned request to the Chairperson of the Saeima. If the Saeima does not amend the law, then the president may not raise objections for a second time (Article 71 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia).
The president has the right to suspend the proclamation of law for two months.