| President of the Republic of Latvia | |
|---|---|
| Latvijas Valsts prezidents | |
 | |
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| Head of State | |
| Style | Mr. President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Status | Head of state |
| Member of | Latvian National Armed Forces |
| Residence | Riga Castle |
| Seat | Riga, Latvia |
| Appointer | Saeima |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once consecutively |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Latvia |
| Inaugural holder | Jānis Čakste |
| Formation | 14 November 1922 |
| Abolished | 1940–1991 |
| Deputy | Speaker of the Saeima |
| Salary | €54,732 annually[1] |
| Website | www |
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]
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.
- ^ "Informācija par amatpersonu (darbinieku) darba samaksas apmēru sadalījumā pa amatu grupām". president.lv. 28 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017. (in Latvian)
- ^ a b "Duties, Powers, and Rights of the President of Latvia". President.lv. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ "President of Latvia by Baltic Legal; Part of Constitution - The president". Baltic Legal. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Edgars Rinkēvičs elected next President of Latvia". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 31 May 2023.