Krišjānis Kariņš facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Krišjānis Kariņš
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Kariņš in 2023
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| 23rd Prime Minister of Latvia | |
| In office 23 January 2019 – 15 September 2023 |
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| President | |
| Preceded by | Māris Kučinskis |
| Succeeded by | Evika Siliņa |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 15 September 2023 – 10 April 2024 Acting: 8 July – 15 September 2023 |
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| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Edgars Rinkēvičs |
| Succeeded by | Baiba Braže |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 14 July 2009 – 23 January 2019 |
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| Constituency | Latvia |
| Minister for Economics | |
| In office 2 December 2004 – 7 April 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Aigars Kalvītis |
| Preceded by | Juris Lujāns |
| Succeeded by | Aigars Štokenbergs |
| President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe | |
| In office 8 July 2023 – 15 November 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Edgars Rinkēvičs |
| Succeeded by | Dominique Hasler |
| Member of the Saeima | |
| In office 5 November 2002 – 16 July 2009 |
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| In office 25 April 2024 – 29 August 2024 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 December 1964 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Citizenship | Latvia, United States |
| Political party | New Era Party (2002–2011) Unity (2011–present) |
| Spouse | Anda Kariņa |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | St. John's College, Maryland University of Pennsylvania (BA, MA, PhD) |
| Signature |  |
Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš (born 13 December 1964) is a Latvian American politician. He served as the prime minister of Latvia from 2019 to 2023. Before that, he was Latvia's Minister of Economics and a Member of the European Parliament.
Kariņš was born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. His parents had left Latvia during the Soviet occupation. He was very active in the American Latvian community when he was young.
After getting his degrees in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, Kariņš moved to Latvia in 1997. He started a business selling frozen food. He helped create the New Era Party in 2002. This party later joined with others to form the Unity Party.
Kariņš served in Latvia's parliament (the Saeima), as Minister of Economics, and as a Member of the European Parliament. In 2018, his party chose him to be their candidate for prime minister. After the election, his party was the smallest one in parliament.
In January 2019, President Raimonds Vējonis asked Kariņš to form a government. He became prime minister on 23 January 2019, leading a group of five parties.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Krišjānis Kariņš was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States. His parents were Latvian Americans. They had fled Latvia in 1944 when the Soviets took control. His parents met and married in Sweden before moving to the United States.
Kariņš and his older sister were the only Latvian children in their elementary school. His family was very involved in the Latvian community in Delaware. They went to Latvian church and Sunday school. They also sang in Latvian choirs and worked at Latvian summer camps.
When he was young, Kariņš played guitar and drums in a band with his Latvian friends. They played at events across the United States. He also took part in protests in Washington, D.C., against the Soviet occupation of Latvia. Kariņš first visited Latvia in 1984. He spent summers there until he moved to Latvia permanently in 1997.
Education and Business Career
After high school, Kariņš studied at the Münster Latvian Gymnasium in 1983. One of his teachers there was Egils Levits, who later became President of Latvia. From 1984 to 1986, Kariņš studied at St. John's College. Then he switched to a linguistics program at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1988.
In 1996, Kariņš earned his PhD in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. He focused on how computers can understand human speech.
Soon after, he moved to Latvia. He wanted to teach language but was not hired because he lacked teaching experience. Instead, he started a company called Lāču ledus. This company made and sold ice and frozen foods. He ran this business until 2002. Kariņš has said that his difficulties with government rules while running his business inspired him to join politics.
Political Journey
Starting in the Saeima
In the early 2000s, Einars Repše invited Kariņš to help start the New Era Party. Kariņš helped write the party's first plans. In October 2002, he was elected to the Saeima, which is Latvia's parliament. The New Era Party became the biggest party in parliament.
While in the Saeima, he worked on committees for education, culture, science, and the constitution. He also led the New Era Party's group in parliament from 2002 to 2004.
Minister for Economics
In December 2004, Kariņš became the Minister for Economics. He served in this role until April 2006. His party, New Era, left the government in April 2006 due to disagreements with the prime minister.
Kariņš was re-elected to the Saeima in October 2006. In March 2007, he became one of the co-leaders of the New Era Party. In July 2011, the New Era Party joined with others to form the Unity party. Kariņš remained a member when the party changed its name to "New Unity" in April 2018.
Serving in the European Parliament
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In July 2009, Kariņš became a Member of the European Parliament. He worked on committees related to industry, research, energy, and economic affairs. He was part of the European People's Party group, which is the largest political group in the parliament.
Kariņš was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2014. In May 2015, he supported Latvia accepting its share of refugees. He said that Latvia might need help from other EU countries in the future.
When Kariņš became prime minister, Aleksejs Loskutovs took his seat in the European Parliament.
Becoming Prime Minister in 2019
On 23 April 2018, New Unity announced Kariņš as their candidate for Prime Minister of Latvia. He chose to keep his seat in the European Parliament instead of running for the Saeima. Even though polls predicted his party might not get enough votes, New Unity won eight seats in the election on 6 October.
On 7 January 2019, Latvia's President Raimonds Vējonis asked Kariņš to form the next government. Other candidates had not been able to do so. Kariņš said his government would focus on improving the financial system, education, and fighting corruption.
Kariņš became prime minister on 23 January 2019. He led a group of five parties.
Prime Minister of Latvia
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When he became prime minister, Kariņš promised that his government would bring "evolutionary, not revolutionary" changes. He announced a seven-point plan. This plan focused on improving the financial sector, fighting corruption, and continuing education reforms. It also aimed to improve healthcare, remove a controversial energy payment, and change how local areas are managed.
Changes in Latvia
Education Reforms
Kariņš's government continued education reforms from the previous government. These included reorganizing schools with few students. They also planned to gradually switch to Latvian-only teaching in public high schools. New learning standards were also introduced.
In February 2019, Kariņš said that teachers' salaries would not increase in 2019 as promised. This led to protests. Kariņš wanted to raise salaries by combining schools with fewer students. In April 2019, the government suggested new minimum student numbers for schools. About half of Latvia's schools would not meet these new rules.
In April 2019, a court ruled that teaching only in Latvian in public schools was allowed. In June 2022, the Saeima approved speeding up this change. By 2025, all preschool and primary education would be in Latvian only.
In September 2022, a teachers' strike was avoided. The government and the teachers' union agreed to raise salaries and balance workloads.
Healthcare System
In February 2019, the Kariņš government stopped a previous plan for healthcare funding. This plan would have limited full state healthcare to only those paying social taxes. In April 2019, the government announced that both the healthcare system and tax rules would be changed in 2021.
Local Government Changes
In April 2019, a plan was announced to reduce the number of local areas in Latvia from 119 to 35. This plan was controversial. After some changes, the new system of 43 local areas started on 1 July 2021.
Foreign Relations
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Kariņš continued Latvia's focus on strong ties with Western countries. He also expressed caution about Russia's foreign policy. In January 2019, he announced that Edgars Rinkēvičs would continue as Latvia's foreign minister. His first foreign visit was to Estonia in February, showing the importance of relations with neighboring countries.
European Union
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In February 2019, Kariņš visited Brussels. He confirmed that Latvia would stay on a "Euro-Atlantic course." He also supported the Brexit negotiator. In April, he spoke to the European Parliament. He said it was important to understand why people listen to populist ideas.
In May 2019, he supported the process of electing a new European Commissioner. He also represented center-right governments in talks about new leaders for the European Union after the 2019 elections.
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Relations with Belarus
During Kariņš's time as prime minister, relations with Belarus became difficult. In January 2021, Kariņš said that Minsk should not host a hockey championship. This was because of how Belarus handled peaceful protests. In August 2021, a state of emergency was declared at the Belarus–Latvia border. This happened after many immigrants tried to cross the border. In August, Kariņš and other prime ministers blamed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko for using immigrants to cause problems for neighboring countries.
Relations with Russia
Relations between Latvia and Russia became much worse during Kariņš's time as prime minister. This was especially true after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In May 2022, Kariņš said that Russia must lose the war for peace and security in Europe. He also said that countries around the Baltic Sea should reduce economic ties with Russia, especially in energy.
In August 2022, a Soviet war memorial in Latvia was taken down. Kariņš said this action "freed Latvia from the lasting consequences of occupation." In September 2022, his government added more rules for Russian citizens entering Latvia. Kariņš said it was "unacceptable" for Russian citizens to move freely in the EU while Russia invaded Ukraine.
Support for Ukraine
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Under Kariņš's government, Latvia strongly supported Ukraine. In February 2022, before Russia's invasion, Latvia sent missiles to Ukraine. After the invasion, Kariņš announced that Latvia was ready to take in 10,000 refugees. By August, over 36,000 Ukrainian refugees were in Latvia. Kariņš supported the decision to make Ukraine and Moldova candidates for EU membership.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
On 12 March 2020, Kariņš declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were closed, and large gatherings were banned. This state of emergency ended in June but was declared again in November 2020. It ended again in April 2021.
In January 2021, Kariņš asked the Minister of Health to resign. He said her vaccination plan was not good enough. A new Minister of Health was confirmed.
A third state of emergency was declared in October 2021. The Kariņš government put in place a month-long "lockdown." They also allowed employers to end contracts with employees who did not have a valid vaccination certificate.
At first, Kariņš's government was praised for handling the pandemic well. However, as new outbreaks happened in late 2020 and 2021, his government faced criticism. In October 2021, a group of experts stopped working with the government. They felt their advice was not being used to make decisions.
Resignation as Prime Minister
Kariņš announced he would resign as prime minister on 14 August 2023. He mentioned disagreements within the group of parties he led. Evika Siliņa took over as prime minister on 15 September 2023.
Foreign Minister
Soon after stepping down as prime minister, Kariņš became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in September 2023. In November, he said he wanted to become the next Secretary General of NATO. He believed NATO needed a leader who could build agreement and was committed to higher defense spending.
On 28 March 2024, Kariņš announced he was resigning as foreign minister. This followed an investigation into his use of private flights when he was prime minister. In April, Baiba Braže became the new Minister of Foreign Affairs. Kariņš returned to work in the Saeima. In August, he announced he would suspend his work as a member of the Saeima.
Israel–Hamas War
In November 2023, Kariņš said that Hamas was using Palestinian civilians as human shields in the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Kariņš did not support a full ceasefire. However, he said he supported "humanitarian pauses" to deliver aid to people in Gaza.
Personal Life
Krišjānis Kariņš is married to Anda Kariņa, who is a doctor. They have four children.
Besides his native Latvian and English, he speaks fluent German and French. He also understands some Russian. During a visit to Minsk in January 2020, Kariņš said it was easier for him to understand Russian than to speak it. He often uses an interpreter when speaking to Russian speakers to avoid misunderstandings.
Images for kids
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Opinion polling for Latvian PM Krišjānis Kariņš
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Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš along with President Raimonds Vējonis, Speaker of the Saeima Ināra Mūrniece and Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Ineta Ziemele taking part on 4 May 2019 event to celebrate the restoration of Latvian independence in 1990
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