Prime Minister of Latvia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia |
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Government of Latvia | |
Member of |
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Appointer | President |
Term length | No term limit |
Inaugural holder | Kārlis Ulmanis |
Formation | 19 November 1918 |
Abolished | 1940–1991 |
Salary | €53,601 annually |
The prime minister of Latvia (Latvian: ministru prezidents) is a very important leader in the Government of Latvia. This person is like the head of the team of ministers, called the Cabinet. The president of Latvia chooses who will be prime minister. However, that person must get enough support from the members of the Saeima, which is Latvia's parliament.
The official Latvian name for this role is "minister-president." While some other European countries use a similar name, in English, we usually say "prime minister."
Contents
Who Has Been Prime Minister?
This section lists all the people who have served as prime minister of Latvia. We'll look at two main periods: the first time Latvia was independent (1918–1940) and since it became independent again (from 1990 until today). From 1990 to 1993, the leader was called the chairman of the Council of Ministers.
Early Prime Ministers (1918–1940)
Here are the political parties these leaders belonged to: Latvian Farmers' Union Independent Mensheviks and Rural Workers Democratic Centre Progressive Association of New Farmers New Farmers-Small Landowners Party
No. | Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Took office | Left office | Days in office | Political party | Cabinet | Saeima | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) |
18 November 1918 | 13 July 1919 | 944 | Latvian Farmers' Union | Provisional I | People's Council | |
14 July 1919 | 8 December 1919 | Provisional II | |||||||
9 December 1919 | 11 June 1920 | Provisional III | |||||||
12 June 1920 | 18 June 1921 | Ulmanis I | Constitutional Assembly | ||||||
2 | ![]() |
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887–1925) |
19 June 1921 | 19 July 1922 | 587 | Meierovics I | |||
20 July 1922 | 26 January 1923 | Meierovics II | |||||||
3 | ![]() |
Jānis Pauļuks (1865–1937) |
27 January 1923 | 27 June 1923 | 152 | Independent | Pauļuks | 1st Saeima | |
(2) | ![]() |
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887–1925) |
28 June 1923 | 26 January 1924 | 213 | Latvian Farmers' Union | Meierovics III | ||
4 | ![]() |
Voldemārs Zāmuēls (1872–1948) |
27 January 1924 | 18 December 1924 | 327 | Independent | Zāmuēls | ||
5 | ![]() |
Hugo Celmiņš (1877–1941) |
19 December 1924 | 23 December 1925 | 370 | Latvian Farmers' Union | Celmiņš I | ||
(1) | ![]() |
Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) |
24 December 1925 | 6 May 1926 | 134 | Ulmanis II | 2nd Saeima | ||
6 | ![]() |
Arturs Alberings (1877–1934) |
7 May 1926 | 18 December 1926 | 226 | Alberings | |||
7 | ![]() |
Marģers Skujenieks (1886–1941) |
19 December 1926 | 23 January 1928 | 401 | Menshevik | Skujenieks I | ||
8 | ![]() |
Pēteris Juraševskis (1872–1945) |
24 January 1928 | 30 November 1928 | 312 | Democratic Centre | Juraševskis | 3rd Saeima | |
(5) | ![]() |
Hugo Celmiņš (1877–1941) |
1 December 1928 | 26 March 1931 | 846 | Latvian Farmers' Union | Celmiņš II | ||
(1) | ![]() |
Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) |
27 March 1931 | 5 December 1931 | 254 | Ulmanis III | |||
(7) | ![]() |
Marģers Skujenieks (1886–1941) |
6 December 1931 | 23 March 1933 | 474 | Progressive Association of New Farmers | Skujenieks II | 4th Saeima | |
9 | ![]() |
Ādolfs Bļodnieks (1889–1962) |
24 March 1933 | 16 March 1934 | 358 | Party of New Farmers and Smallholders | Bļodnieks | ||
(1) | ![]() |
Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) |
17 March 1934 | 15 May 1934 | 2287 | Latvian Farmers' Union | Ulmanis IV | ||
15 May 1934 | 19 June 1940 | Independent | Ulmanis V | ||||||
— | ![]() |
Augusts Kirhenšteins (1872–1963) |
20 June 1940 | 25 August 1940 | 66 | Independent | Kirhenšteins |
Modern Prime Ministers (1990–Present)
Latvia regained its independence on May 4, 1990. Since then, new prime ministers have led the country. Here are the political parties these leaders belonged to: Popular Front of Latvia Latvian Way Independent For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK People's Party New Era Party Latvian Green Party Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way Unity Liepāja Party New Unity
No. | Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Took office | Left office | Days in office | Political party | Cabinet | Saeima | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | ![]() |
Ivars Godmanis (born 1951) |
7 May 1990 | 3 August 1993 | 1136 | Popular Front of Latvia | Godmanis I | Supreme Council | |
11 | ![]() |
Valdis Birkavs (born 1942) |
3 August 1993 | 15 September 1994 | 408 | Latvian Way | Birkavs | 5th Saeima | |
12 | ![]() |
Māris Gailis (born 1951) |
15 September 1994 | 21 December 1995 | 462 | Gailis | |||
13 | ![]() |
Andris Šķēle (born 1958) |
21 December 1995 | 13 February 1997 | 595 | Independent | Šķēle I | 6th Saeima | |
13 February 1997 | 7 August 1997 | Šķēle II | |||||||
14 | ![]() |
Guntars Krasts (born 1957) |
7 August 1997 | 26 November 1998 | 476 | For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK | Krasts | ||
15 | ![]() |
Vilis Krištopans (born 1954) |
26 November 1998 | 16 July 1999 | 232 | Latvian Way | Krištopans | 7th Saeima | |
(13) | ![]() |
Andris Šķēle (born 1958) |
16 July 1999 | 5 May 2000 | 294 | People's Party | Šķēle III | ||
16 | ![]() |
Andris Bērziņš (born 1951) |
5 May 2000 | 7 November 2002 | 916 | Latvian Way | Bērziņš | ||
17 | ![]() |
Einars Repše (born 1961) |
7 November 2002 | 9 March 2004 | 488 | New Era Party | Repše | 8th Saeima | |
18 | ![]() |
Indulis Emsis (born 1952) |
9 March 2004 | 2 December 2004 | 268 | Latvian Green Party | Emsis | ||
19 | ![]() |
Aigars Kalvītis (born 1966) |
2 December 2004 | 7 November 2006 | 1113 | People's Party | Kalvītis I | ||
7 November 2006 | 20 December 2007 | Kalvītis II | 9th Saeima | ||||||
(10) | ![]() |
Ivars Godmanis (born 1951) |
20 December 2007 | 12 March 2009 | 448 | Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way | Godmanis II | ||
20 | ![]() |
Valdis Dombrovskis (born 1971) |
12 March 2009 | 3 November 2010 | 1777 | New Era Party | Dombrovskis I | ||
3 November 2010 | 25 October 2011 | Dombrovskis II | 10th Saeima | ||||||
25 October 2011 | 22 January 2014 | Unity | Dombrovskis III | 11th Saeima | |||||
21 | ![]() |
Laimdota Straujuma (born 1951) |
22 January 2014 | 5 November 2014 | 750 | Straujuma I | |||
5 November 2014 | 11 February 2016 | Straujuma II | 12th Saeima | ||||||
22 | ![]() |
Māris Kučinskis (born 1961) |
11 February 2016 | 23 January 2019 | 1077 | Liepāja Party | Kučinskis | ||
23 | ![]() |
Krišjānis Kariņš (born 1964) |
23 January 2019 | 14 December 2022 | 1696 | New Unity | Kariņš I | 13th Saeima | |
14 December 2022 | 15 September 2023 | Kariņš II | 14th Saeima | ||||||
24 | ![]() |
Evika Siliņa (born 1975) |
15 September 2023 | Incumbent | 677 | Siliņa |
Timeline of Prime Ministers
These timelines show when each prime minister served.
1919–1940 Timeline

1990–Present Timeline

Prime Minister Facts
This table shares some interesting facts about the prime ministers, like how old they were when they started and how long they served.
# | Prime Minister | Born | Age when first started | Total time in office | Age when last left office | Died | How long they lived |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kārlis Ulmanis | September 4, 1877 | 41 years, 75 days | 9 years, 334 days | 62 years, 287 days | September 20, 1942 | 65 years, 16 days |
2 | Zigfrīds Meierovics | February 6, 1887 | 34 years, 133 days | 2 years, 70 days | 36 years, 354 days | August 22, 1925 | 38 years, 197 days |
3 | Jānis Pauļuks | November 12, 1865 | 57 years, 76 days | 152 days | 57 years, 228 days | June 21, 1937 | 71 years, 221 days |
4 | Voldemārs Zāmuēls | May 22, 1872 | 51 years, 250 days | 327 days | 52 years, 210 days | September 25, 1944 | 75 years, 239 days |
5 | Hugo Celmiņš | October 30, 1877 | 47 years, 50 days | 3 years, 121 days | 53 years, 147 days | July 30, 1941 | 63 years, 273 days |
6 | Arturs Alberings | January 8, 1876 | 50 years, 119 days | 226 days | 50 years, 345 days | April 26, 1934 | 58 years, 108 days |
7 | Marģers Skujenieks | June 22, 1886 | 40 years, 180 days | 2 years, 145 days | 46 years, 274 days | July 12, 1941 | 55 years, 20 days |
8 | Pēteris Juraševskis | March 23, 1872 | 55 years, 307 days | 312 days | 56 years, 252 days | January 10, 1945 | 72 years, 293 days |
9 | Ādolfs Bļodnieks | July 24, 1889 | 43 years, 243 days | 358 days | 44 years, 235 days | March 21, 1962 | 72 years, 240 days |
— | Augusts Kirhenšteins | September 18, 1872 | 67 years, 276 days | 66 days | 67 years, 342 days | November 11, 1963 | 91 years, 46 days |
10 | Ivars Godmanis | November 27, 1951 | 38 years, 161 days | 4 years, 124 days | 57 years, 105 days | Living | 73 years, 245 days (living) |
11 | Valdis Birkavs | July 28, 1942 | 51 years, 6 days | 1 year, 43 days | 52 years, 49 days | Living | 83 years, 2 days (living) |
12 | Māris Gailis | July 9, 1951 | 43 years, 37 days | 1 year, 97 days | 44 years, 165 days | Living | 74 years, 21 days (living) |
13 | Andris Šķēle | January 16, 1958 | 37 years, 339 days | 2 years, 159 days | 42 years, 110 days | Living | 67 years, 195 days (living) |
14 | Guntars Krasts | October 16, 1957 | 39 years, 295 days | 1 year, 111 days | 41 years, 51 days | Living | 67 years, 287 days (living) |
15 | Vilis Krištopans | June 13, 1954 | 44 years, 166 days | 232 days | 45 years, 33 days | Living | 71 years, 47 days (living) |
16 | Andris Bērziņš | August 4, 1951 | 48 years, 275 days | 2 years, 186 days | 51 years, 95 days | Living | 73 years, 360 days (living) |
17 | Einars Repše | December 9, 1961 | 40 years, 333 days | 1 year, 123 days | 42 years, 91 days | Living | 63 years, 233 days (living) |
18 | Indulis Emsis | January 2, 1952 | 52 years, 67 days | 268 days | 52 years, 335 days | Living | 73 years, 209 days (living) |
19 | Aigars Kalvītis | June 27, 1966 | 38 years, 158 days | 3 years, 18 days | 41 years, 176 days | Living | 59 years, 33 days (living) |
20 | Valdis Dombrovskis | August 5, 1971 | 37 years, 219 days | 4 years, 316 days | 42 years, 170 days | Living | 53 years, 359 days (living) |
21 | Laimdota Straujuma | February 24, 1951 | 62 years, 332 days | 2 years, 20 days | 64 years, 352 days | Living | 74 years, 156 days (living) |
22 | Māris Kučinskis | November 28, 1961 | 54 years, 75 days | 2 years, 345 days | 57 years, 56 days | Living | 63 years, 244 days (living) |
23 | Krišjānis Kariņš | December 13, 1964 | 54 years, 41 days | 4 years, 235 days | 58 years, 276 days | Living | 60 years, 229 days (living) |
24 | Evika Siliņa | August 3, 1975 | 48 years, 43 days | 677 days | Living | 49 years, 361 days (living) |
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 | Kārlis Ulmanis | September 4, 1877 | 41 years, 75 days | 9 years, 334 days | 62 years, 287 days | September 20, 1942 | 65 years, 16 days |
2 | Zigfrīds Meierovics | February 6, 1887 | 34 years, 133 days | 2 years, 70 days | 36 years, 354 days | August 22, 1925 | 38 years, 197 days |
3 | Jānis Pauļuks | November 12, 1865 | 57 years, 76 days | 152 days | 57 years, 228 days | June 21, 1937 | 71 years, 221 days |
4 | Voldemārs Zāmuēls | May 22, 1872 | 51 years, 250 days | 327 days | 52 years, 210 days | September 25, 1944 | 75 years, 239 days |
5 | Hugo Celmiņš | October 30, 1877 | 47 years, 50 days | 3 years, 121 days | 53 years, 147 days | July 30, 1941 | 63 years, 273 days |
6 | Arturs Alberings | January 8, 1876 | 50 years, 119 days | 226 days | 50 years, 345 days | April 26, 1934 | 58 years, 108 days |
7 | Marģers Skujenieks | June 22, 1886 | 40 years, 180 days | 2 years, 145 days | 46 years, 274 days | July 12, 1941 | 55 years, 20 days |
8 | Pēteris Juraševskis | March 23, 1872 | 55 years, 307 days | 312 days | 56 years, 252 days | January 10, 1945 | 72 years, 293 days |
9 | Ādolfs Bļodnieks | July 24, 1889 | 43 years, 243 days | 358 days | 44 years, 235 days | March 21, 1962 | 72 years, 240 day |
— | Augusts Kirhenšteins | September 18, 1872 | 67 years, 276 days | 66 days | 67 years, 342 days | November 11, 1963 | 91 years, 46 days |
10 | Ivars Godmanis | November 27, 1951 | 38 years, 161 days | 4 years, 124 days | 57 years, 105 days | Living | 73 years, 245 days (living) |
11 | Valdis Birkavs | July 28, 1942 | 51 years, 6 days | 1 year, 43 days | 52 years, 49 days | Living | 83 years, 2 days (living) |
12 | Māris Gailis | July 9, 1951 | 43 years, 37 days | 1 year, 97 days | 44 years, 165 days | Living | 74 years, 21 days (living) |
13 | Andris Šķēle | January 16, 1958 | 37 years, 339 days | 2 years, 159 days | 42 years, 110 days | Living | 67 years, 195 days (living) |
14 | Guntars Krasts | October 16, 1957 | 39 years, 295 days | 1 year, 111 days | 41 years, 51 days | Living | 67 years, 287 days (living) |
15 | Vilis Krištopans | June 13, 1954 | 44 years, 166 days | 232 days | 45 years, 33 days | Living | 71 years, 47 days (living) |
16 | Andris Bērziņš | August 4, 1951 | 48 years, 275 days | 2 years, 186 days | 51 years, 95 days | Living | 73 years, 360 days (living) |
17 | Einars Repše | December 9, 1961 | 40 years, 333 days | 1 year, 123 days | 42 years, 91 days | Living | 63 years, 233 days (living) |
18 | Indulis Emsis | January 2, 1952 | 52 years, 67 days | 268 days | 52 years, 335 days | Living | 73 years, 209 days (living) |
19 | Aigars Kalvītis | June 27, 1966 | 38 years, 158 days | 3 years, 18 days | 42 years, 91 days | Living | 59 years, 33 days (living) |
20 | Valdis Dombrovskis | August 5, 1971 | 37 years, 219 days | 4 years, 316 days | 42 years, 170 days | Living | 53 years, 359 days (living) |
21 | Laimdota Straujuma | February 24, 1951 | 62 years, 332 days | 2 years, 20 days | 64 years, 352 days | Living | 74 years, 156 days (living) |
22 | Māris Kučinskis | November 28, 1961 | 54 years, 75 days | 2 years, 345 days | 57 years, 56 days | Living | 63 years, 244 days (living) |
23 | Krišjānis Kariņš | December 13, 1964 | 54 years, 41 days | 4 years, 235 days | 58 years, 276 days | Living | 60 years, 229 days (living) |
24 | Evika Siliņa | August 3, 1975 | 48 years, 43 days | 684 days | Living | 49 years, 361 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.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Primeros ministros de Letonia para niños
External Links
- Official list from the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers: https://www.mk.gov.lv/en/ex-prime-ministers-republic-latvia
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