Evika Siliņa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evika Siliņa
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Siliņa in 2025
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| 24th Prime Minister of Latvia | |
| Assumed office 15 September 2023 |
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| President | Edgars Rinkēvičs |
| Preceded by | Krišjānis Kariņš |
| Minister of Welfare | |
| In office 14 December 2022 – 15 September 2023 |
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| Prime Minister | Krišjānis Kariņš |
| Preceded by | Gatis Eglītis |
| Succeeded by | Uldis Augulis |
| Member of the Saeima | |
| In office 1 November 2022 – 14 December 2022 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 August 1975 Riga, Latvia |
| Political party | Unity (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Reform (2011–2022) |
| Spouse | Aigars Siliņš |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Latvia Riga Graduate School of Law |
Evika Siliņa was born on August 3, 1975. She is a lawyer and a politician from Latvia. Since September 15, 2023, she has been the prime minister of Latvia. Before that, from 2022 to 2023, she was the Minister of Welfare. She worked in the government led by Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. Evika Siliņa is part of the Unity political party. She is also the second woman to become the head of government in Latvia.
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Early Life and Education
Evika Siliņa was born in Riga, the capital city of Latvia, on August 3, 1975. She went to the University of Latvia from 1993 to 1997. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in law. She also studied at the Riga Graduate School of Law. She received a master's degree in social sciences, focusing on international and European law.
After her studies, from 2003 to 2012, Siliņa worked as a lawyer. She helped businesses with legal matters, especially in areas like telecommunications and information technology (IT). She also worked with government groups.
Political Journey
Evika Siliņa started her political career by running in the 2011 Latvian parliamentary election. She was a candidate for the Zatlers' Reform Party in Riga. Although she was not elected then, she became a legal adviser to the Minister of Interior from 2011 to 2012.
Work at the Ministry of Interior
From January 2013 to January 2019, Siliņa served as the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Interior. In this role, she was known for being open with journalists. She also worked to stop the spread of certain harmful substances in Latvia. She represented the Ministry in important international groups like the United Nations and INTERPOL.
Role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
On January 23, 2019, Evika Siliņa became the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. This happened after the Cabinet of Ministers, led by Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, was approved.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In the 2022 Latvian parliamentary election, Siliņa ran as a candidate for the New Unity party. She was elected and became a member of the 14th Saeima, which is Latvia's parliament.
Minister of Welfare
On December 6, 2022, Siliņa was appointed as the Minister of Welfare in Krišjānis Kariņš' government. The new government was officially confirmed on December 14. As Minister of Welfare, one of her main goals was to increase the minimum income for people.
Prime Minister of Latvia (2023–Present)
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On August 16, 2023, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš resigned. The New Unity party then nominated Evika Siliņa as their candidate for the next prime minister. On August 24, President Edgars Rinkēvičs asked her to form a new government.
After some discussions, Siliņa announced on September 1 that she planned to form a government with the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) and The Progressives (P) parties. On September 13, she shared the list of people who would be in the new government. Her party, New Unity, received seven ministries. The Union of Greens and Farmers received four, and The Progressives received three. Krišjānis Kariņš was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On September 15, 2023, the government led by Evika Siliņa received enough votes in the Saeima to take office. She received 53 votes. In her speech, she talked about making Latvia more inclusive. This means working towards goals like gender equality. For the Russian-speaking minority, inclusion means helping them integrate into the Latvian education system. The government also plans to increase the military budget. They also aim to finish building a barrier on Latvia's border with Russia and Belarus. Evika Siliņa is the second woman to become prime minister of Latvia. The first was Laimdota Straujuma, who served from 2014 to 2016.
Personal Life
Evika Siliņa is married to Aigars Siliņš. They have three children together. Besides her native language of Latvian, she also speaks Russian and English very well.
See also
In Spanish: Evika Siliņa para niños
- List of political parties in Latvia
