Prime Minister of Latvia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia
Flag of the prime minister of Latvia
Incumbent Evika Siliņa since 15 September 2023
Government of Latvia
Member of	Government of Latvia European Council Saeima
Appointer	President
Term length	No term limit
Inaugural holder	Kārlis Ulmanis
Formation	19 November 1918; 106 years ago (1918-11-19)
Abolished	1940–1991
Salary	€53,601 annually

The prime minister of Latvia (Latvian: ministru prezidents) is a very important leader in Latvia. This person is the head of the government. They lead the group of ministers who make decisions for the country.

The president of Latvia chooses who they think should be prime minister. But this person must also get enough support from the Saeima, which is Latvia's parliament. The parliament is where elected representatives make laws.

Latvia has had prime ministers during two main periods. The first was from 1918 to 1940. The second period started in 1990 and continues today. From 1990 to 1993, the leader was called the chairman of the Council of Ministers.

The official Latvian name for the prime minister means "minister-president." While this name is used in some European countries, in English, we usually say "prime minister."

List of Prime Ministers
- Early Prime Ministers (1918–1940)
- Modern Prime Ministers (1990–Present)
Timeline of Leaders
- Leaders from 1919 to 1940
- Leaders from 1990 to Today
Key Facts About Prime Ministers
Images for kids
See also

List of Prime Ministers

This section shows all the prime ministers Latvia has had. It covers two different time periods.

Early Prime Ministers (1918–1940)

This list includes the prime ministers from Latvia's first time as an independent country.

Political party: LZS Independent MP DC PA LJSP

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party		Cabinet	Saeima
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party		Cabinet	Saeima
1		Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942)	18 November 1918	13 July 1919	944		Latvian Farmers' Union	Provisional I LZS – LNP – DC – DS	People's Council
			14 July 1919	8 December 1919				Provisional II LZS – LŽNP DC joined later
			9 December 1919	11 June 1920				Provisional III LZS – LŽNP DS joined later
			12 June 1920	18 June 1921				Ulmanis I LZS – DS – LDP DS exited later	Const. Assembly (1920)
2		Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887–1925)	19 June 1921	19 July 1922	587			Meierovics I LZS – DC – MP – LTP LTP exited later
2		Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887–1925)	20 July 1922	26 January 1923	587	Meierovics II LZS – MP – LDP
3		Jānis Pauļuks (1865–1937)	27 January 1923	27 June 1923	152		Independent	Pauļuks LZS – LSPDS – DC – LJS – MP	1st (1922)
(2)		Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887–1925)	28 June 1923	26 January 1924	213		Latvian Farmers' Union	Meierovics III LZS – LSPDS – DC – LJS – MP
4		Voldemārs Zāmuēls (1872–1948)	27 January 1924	18 December 1924	327		Independent	Zāmuēls BNC – DC – LJS
5		Hugo Celmiņš (1877–1941)	19 December 1924	23 December 1925	370		Latvian Farmers' Union	Celmiņš I LZS – DC MP and LJS joined later
(1)		Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942)	24 December 1925	6 May 1926	134			Ulmanis II LZS – LJSP – LJS – LZP NA joined later	2nd (1925)
6		Arturs Alberings (1877–1934)	7 May 1926	18 December 1926	226			Alberings LZS – DC – LJSP – LJS – LZP
7		Marģers Skujenieks (1886–1941)	19 December 1926	23 January 1928	401		Menshevik	Skujenieks I LSDSP – MP – LPP – DC – LJS DC exited cabinet
8		Pēteris Juraševskis (1872–1945)	24 January 1928	30 November 1928	312		Democratic Centre	Juraševskis LZS – DC – LZP – VRP / DbRP
(5)		Hugo Celmiņš (1877–1941)	1 December 1928	26 March 1931	846		Latvian Farmers' Union	Celmiņš II LZS – DC – LJSP – LDZA – LA – KNP – VRP / DbRP DC, KNP, VRP / DbRP exited cabinet	3rd (1928)
(1)		Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942)	27 March 1931	5 December 1931	254		Latvian Farmers' Union	Ulmanis III LZS – LJSP – LDZA – NA – MKRA – LKZP – LPP	3rd (1928)
(7)		Marģers Skujenieks (1886–1941)	6 December 1931	23 March 1933	474		Progressive Association of New Farmers	Skujenieks II PA – DC – LZS – LZPA LJSP joined later	4th (1931)
9		Ādolfs Bļodnieks (1889–1962)	24 March 1933	16 March 1934	358		Party of New Farmers and Smallholders	Bļodnieks LJSP – LZS – DC – LZPA – PA – LKKP – KDP DC, PA exited cabinet
(1)		Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942)	17 March 1934	15 May 1934	2287		Latvian Farmers' Union	Ulmanis IV LZS – KA – LKKP – LPP – KDP
(1)		Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942)	15 May 1934	19 June 1940	2287		Independent	Ulmanis V Independent
—		Augusts Kirhenšteins (1872–1963)	20 June 1940	25 August 1940	66		Independent (Pro-LKP)	Kirhenšteins Independent – LKP

Modern Prime Ministers (1990–Present)

This list shows the prime ministers since Latvia became independent again on May 4, 1990. This happened after the Declaration of the Restoration of Independence.

Political party: LTF LC Independent TB/LNNK TP JL LZP LPP/LC V LP JV

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party		Cabinet	Saeima
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party		Cabinet	Saeima
10		Ivars Godmanis (born 1951)	7 May 1990	3 August 1993	1136		Popular Front of Latvia	Godmanis I LTF LC joined later	SC (1990)
11		Valdis Birkavs (born 1942)	3 August 1993	15 September 1994	408		Latvian Way	Birkavs LC – LZS – LZP	5th (1993)
12		Māris Gailis (born 1951)	15 September 1994	21 December 1995	462		Latvian Way	Gailis LC – TPA – LZS – LZP TB joined later and exited cabinet	5th (1993)
13		Andris Šķēle (born 1958)	21 December 1995	13 February 1997	595		Independent	Šķēle I DP'S' – TB – LC – LNNK – LZS – LZP – LVP	6th (1995)
13		Andris Šķēle (born 1958)	13 February 1997	7 August 1997	595		Independent	Šķēle II DP'S' – TB – LC – LNNK – LZS – LZP KDS joined later
14		Guntars Krasts (born 1957)	7 August 1997	26 November 1998	476		For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK	Krasts TB/LNNK – LC – LZS – LZP – DPS – KTP DPS and KTP exited cabinet
15		Vilis Krištopans (born 1954)	26 November 1998	16 July 1999	232		Latvian Way	Krištopans LC – TB/LNNK – JP LSDSP joined later	7th (1998)
(13)		Andris Šķēle (born 1958)	16 July 1999	5 May 2000	294		People's Party	Šķēle III TP – LC – TB/LNNK
16		Andris Bērziņš (born 1951)	5 May 2000	7 November 2002	916		Latvian Way	Bērziņš LC – TP – TB/LNNK – JP
17		Einars Repše (born 1961)	7 November 2002	9 March 2004	488		New Era Party	Repše JL – TB/LNNK – LZS – LPP – LZP LPP exited cabinet	8th (2002)
18		Indulis Emsis (born 1952)	9 March 2004	2 December 2004	268		Latvian Green Party	Emsis TP – LPP – LZS – LZP
19		Aigars Kalvītis (born 1966)	2 December 2004	7 November 2006	1113		People's Party	Kalvītis I TP – JL – LZS – LPP – LZP JL exited cabinet
19		Aigars Kalvītis (born 1966)	7 November 2006	20 December 2007	1113		People's Party	Kalvītis II TP – LZS – LPP – TB/LNNK – LZP – LC	9th (2006)
(10)		Ivars Godmanis (born 1951)	20 December 2007	12 March 2009	448		Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way	Godmanis II LPP/LC – TP – LZS – TB/LNNK – LZP
20		Valdis Dombrovskis (born 1971)	12 March 2009	3 November 2010	1777		New Era Party	Dombrovskis I JL – TP – TB/LNNK – LZS – LZP – PS
			3 November 2010	25 October 2011			New Era Party	Dombrovskis II JL – PS – SCP – LZS – LZP – LP JL, PS, SCP, LP later replaced by V	10th (2010)
			25 October 2011	22 January 2014			Unity	Dombrovskis III V – ZRP – NA	11th (2011)
21		Laimdota Straujuma (born 1951)	22 January 2014	5 November 2014	750			Straujuma I V – RP – NA – LZS – LZP	11th (2011)
21		Laimdota Straujuma (born 1951)	5 November 2014	11 February 2016	750			Straujuma II V – NA – LZS – LZP – LuV – LP	12th (2014)
22		Māris Kučinskis (born 1961)	11 February 2016	23 January 2019	1077		Liepāja Party	Kučinskis V – NA – LZS – LZP – LuV – LP	12th (2014)
23		Krišjānis Kariņš (born 1964)	23 January 2019	14 December 2022	1696		New Unity	Kariņš I JV – JKP – KPV LV – A/P! – NA KPV LV exited cabinet	13th (2018)
23		Krišjānis Kariņš (born 1964)	14 December 2022	15 September 2023	1696			Kariņš II JV – NA – AS	14th (2022)
24		Evika Siliņa (born 1975)	15 September 2023	Incumbent	663			Siliņa JV – ZZS – PRO	14th (2022)

Timeline of Leaders

These timelines show when each prime minister was in office. Different colors show their political parties.

Leaders from 1919 to 1940

Leaders from 1990 to Today

Key Facts About Prime Ministers

This table shares some interesting facts about the prime ministers. It shows their birth dates, how old they were when they started, and how long they served.

#	Prime Minister	Date of birth	Age when first started	Total time in office	Age when last left office	Date of death	How long they lived
1	Ulmanis, KārlisKārlis Ulmanis	18770904September 4, 1877(September 4, 1877)	41 07541 years, 75 days	09 3349 years, 334 days	62 28762 years, 287 days	19420920September 20, 1942	&&&&&&&&&&023756.&&&&&023,75665 years, 16 days
2	Meierovics, ZigfrīdsZigfrīds Meierovics	18870206February 6, 1887(February 6, 1887)	34 13334 years, 133 days	02 0702 years, 70 days	36 35436 years, 354 days	19250822August 22, 1925	&&&&&&&&&&014076.&&&&&014,07638 years, 197 days
3	Pauļuks, JānisJānis Pauļuks	18651112November 12, 1865(November 12, 1865)	57 07657 years, 76 days	00 152152 days	57 22857 years, 228 days	19370621June 21, 1937	&&&&&&&&&&026153.&&&&&026,15371 years, 221 days
4	Zāmuēls, VoldemārsVoldemārs Zāmuēls	18720522May 22, 1872(May 22, 1872)	51 25051 years, 250 days	00 327327 days	52 21052 years, 210 days	19480116September 25, 1944	&&&&&&&&&&027631.&&&&&027,63175 years, 239 days
5	Celmiņš, HugoHugo Celmiņš	18771030October 30, 1877(October 30, 1877)	47 05047 years, 50 days	03 1213 years, 121 days	53 14753 years, 147 days	19410730July 30, 1941	&&&&&&&&&&023283.&&&&&023,28363 years, 273 days
6	Alberings, ArtursArturs Alberings	18760108January 8, 1876(January 8, 1876)	50 11950 years, 119 days	00 226226 days	50 34550 years, 345 days	19340426April 26, 1934	&&&&&&&&&&021292.&&&&&021,29258 years, 108 days
7	Skujenieks, MarģersMarģers Skujenieks	18860622June 22, 1886(June 22, 1886)	40 18040 years, 180 days	02 1452 years, 145 days	46 27446 years, 274 days	19410712July 12, 1941	&&&&&&&&&&020108.&&&&&020,10855 years, 20 days
8	Juraševskis, PēterisPēteris Juraševskis	18720323March 23, 1872(March 23, 1872)	55 30755 years, 307 days	00 312312 days	56 25256 years, 252 days	19450110January 10, 1945	&&&&&&&&&&026590.&&&&&026,59072 years, 293 days
9	Blzodnieks, AzdolfsĀdolfs Bļodnieks	18890724July 24, 1889(July 24, 1889)	43 24343 years, 243 days	00 358358 days	44 23544 years, 235 days	19620321March 21, 1962	&&&&&&&&&&026537.&&&&&026,53772 years, 240 day
—	Augusts Kirhenšteins	18720918September 18, 1872(September 18, 1872)	67 27667 years, 276 days	00 06666 days	67 34267 years, 342 days	19631103November 11, 1963	&&&&&&&&&&033282.&&&&&033,28291 years, 46 days
10	Godmanis, IvarsIvars Godmanis	19511127November 27, 1951(November 27, 1951)	38 16138 years, 161 days	04 1244 years, 124 days	57 10557 years, 105 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&026888.&&&&&026,88873 years, 224 days (living)
11	Birkavs, ValdisValdis Birkavs	19420728July 28, 1942(July 28, 1942)	51 00651 years, 6 days	01 0431 year, 43 days	52 04952 years, 49 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&030297.&&&&&030,29782 years, 346 days (living)
12	Gailis, MārisMāris Gailis	19510709July 9, 1951(July 9, 1951)	43 03743 years, 37 days	01 0971 year, 97 days	44 16544 years, 165 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&027029.&&&&&027,02974 years, 0 days (living)
13	Szkzēle, AndrisAndris Šķēle	19580116January 16, 1958(January 16, 1958)	37 33937 years, 339 days	02 1592 years, 159 days	42 11042 years, 110 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&024646.&&&&&024,64667 years, 174 days (living)
14	Krasts, GuntarsGuntars Krasts	19571016October 16, 1957(October 16, 1957)	39 29539 years, 295 days	01 1111 year, 111 days	41 04141 years, 51 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&024738.&&&&&024,73867 years, 266 days (living)
15	Krisztopans, VilisVilis Krištopans	19540613June 13, 1954(June 13, 1954)	44 16644 years, 166 days	00 232232 days	45 03345 years, 33 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&025959.&&&&&025,95971 years, 26 days (living)
16	Bērziņš, AndrisAndris Bērziņš	19510804August 4, 1951(August 4, 1951)	48 27548 years, 275 days	02 1862 years, 186 days	51 09551 years, 95 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&027003.&&&&&027,00373 years, 339 days (living)
17	Repše, EinarsEinars Repše	19611209December 9, 1961(December 9, 1961)	40 33340 years, 333 days	01 1231 year, 123 days	42 09142 years, 91 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&023223.&&&&&023,22363 years, 212 days (living)
18	Emsis, IndulisIndulis Emsis	19520102January 2, 1952(January 2, 1952)	52 06752 years, 67 days	00 268268 days	52 33552 years, 335 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&026852.&&&&&026,85273 years, 188 days (living)
19	Kalvītis, AigarsAigars Kalvītis	19660627June 27, 1966(June 27, 1966)	38 15838 years, 158 days	03 0183 years, 18 days	41 17642 years, 91 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&021562.&&&&&021,56259 years, 12 days (living)
20	Dombrovskis, ValdisValdis Dombrovskis	19710805August 5, 1971(August 5, 1971)	37 21937 years, 219 days	04 3164 years, 316 days	42 17042 years, 170 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&019697.&&&&&019,69753 years, 338 days (living)
21	Straujuma, LaimdotaLaimdota Straujuma	19510224February 24, 1951(February 24, 1951)	62 33262 years, 332 days	02 0202 years, 20 days	64 35264 years, 352 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&027164.&&&&&027,16474 years, 135 days (living)
22	Kučinskis, MārisMāris Kučinskis	19611128November 28, 1961(November 28, 1961)	54 07554 years, 75 days	02 3452 years, 345 days	57 05657 years, 56 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&023234.&&&&&023,23463 years, 223 days (living)
23	Kariņš, Arturs KrišjānisKrišjānis Kariņš	19641213December 13, 1964(December 13, 1964)	54 04154 years, 41 days	4 years, 235 days	58 years, 276 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&022123.&&&&&022,12360 years, 208 days (living)
24	Evika Siliņa	19750803August 3, 1975(December 13, 1964)	48 04348 years, 43 days	00 304663 days		Living	&&&&&&&&&&022123.&&&&&022,12349 years, 340 days (living)

Notes

During the Independence War (1918–1920), other groups also tried to lead Latvia. Some people might list their leaders as prime ministers for those times.
On May 15, 1934, Prime Minister Ulmanis changed the government. He stopped parliament and banned all political parties. This created a period where he had strong, single-person rule.
Augusts Kirhenšteins was put in charge by Soviet authorities. The Latvian government does not officially recognize him as a prime minister.

Images for kids

Kārlis Ulmanis was Latvia's first prime minister.
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics served multiple terms.
Jānis Pauļuks was prime minister in 1923.
Voldemārs Zāmuēls led the government in 1924.
Hugo Celmiņš served as prime minister twice.
Arturs Alberings was prime minister in 1926.
Marģers Skujenieks led the government in two different periods.
Pēteris Juraševskis was prime minister in 1928.
Ādolfs Bļodnieks served as prime minister from 1933 to 1934.
Augusts Kirhenšteins was appointed by Soviet authorities.
Ivars Godmanis was Latvia's first prime minister after regaining independence.
Valdis Birkavs served as prime minister in the early 1990s.
Māris Gailis became prime minister in 1994.
Andris Šķēle served as prime minister multiple times.
Guntars Krasts was prime minister from 1997 to 1998.
Vilis Krištopans 2022 (cropped).jpg

Vilis Krištopans served as prime minister in 1998-1999.
Andris Bērziņš was prime minister from 2000 to 2002.
Einars Repše led the government from 2002 to 2004.
Indulis Emsis was prime minister in 2004.
Aigars Kalvītis served as prime minister for three years.
Valdis Dombrovskis served as prime minister for several years.
Laimdota Straujuma was Latvia's first female prime minister.
Māris Kučinskis was prime minister from 2016 to 2019.
Krišjānis Kariņš served as prime minister from 2019 to 2023.