Raimonds Vējonis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raimonds Vējonis
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Vējonis in 2019
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| President of the Latvian Basketball Association | |
| Assumed office 21 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Valdis Voins |
| 9th President of Latvia | |
| In office 8 July 2015 – 8 July 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Laimdota Straujuma Māris Kučinskis Krišjānis Kariņš |
| Preceded by | Andris Bērziņš |
| Succeeded by | Egils Levits |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 22 January 2014 – 7 July 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Valdis Dombrovskis Laimdota Straujuma |
| Preceded by | Artis Pabriks |
| Succeeded by | Raimonds Bergmanis |
| Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development | |
| In office 7 November 2002 – 25 October 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Einars Repše Indulis Emsis Aigars Kalvītis Ivars Godmanis Valdis Dombrovskis |
| Preceded by | Vladimirs Makarovs |
| Succeeded by | Edmunds Sprūdžs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 June 1966 Nikonovo, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia) |
| Political party | Green Party |
| Spouse |
Iveta Vējone
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Latvia |
Raimonds Vējonis, born on June 15, 1966, is a well-known politician from Latvia. He was the 9th President of Latvia from 2015 to 2019. Since 2020, he has been the president of the Latvian Basketball Association.
He is a member of the Latvian Green Party, which is part of the Union of Greens and Farmers. Before becoming president, he held important government roles. He was the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development and also the Minister of Defence.
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Early Life and Education
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Raimonds Vējonis was born on June 15, 1966, in Pskov Oblast, which is now in Russia. His father was Latvian and his mother was Russian. He grew up in a place called Sarkaņi and went to school in the nearby town of Madona.
He became interested in protecting the environment because his grandfather had problems with his eyesight due to chemicals used on a farm. Raimonds Vējonis studied biology at the University of Latvia. He earned his first degree in 1989 and a master's degree in 1995. While he was studying, he also worked as a biology teacher in Madona.
After finishing his studies, he worked in environmental protection. From 1989 to 1996, he was the deputy director of the Madona Regional Environmental board. He also served on the Madona city council. Later, from 1996 to 2002, he was the director of the Greater Riga Regional Environmental board.
Political Career
Raimonds Vējonis began his national political career in 2002. He became the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. He held this role at different times, also serving as Minister of the Environment.
In 2014, he became the Minister of Defence of Latvia. He was in charge of Latvia's defense until he became president.
Becoming President
On June 3, 2015, Raimonds Vējonis was elected as the President of Latvia. He received votes from 55 out of 100 members of the Saeima, which is Latvia's parliament. In his speech after winning, he promised to keep Latvia safe and to protect the environment. He was the first head of state in the European Union to be a member of a green party. His term as president ended on July 8, 2019.
Life After Presidency
After his time as president, Raimonds Vējonis continued to be active. In January 2020, he was elected as the president of the Latvian Basketball Association. He will serve in this role for four years.
Personal Life
In 1986, Raimonds Vējonis married Iveta Vējone. She is a teacher and was the First Lady of Latvia during his presidency. They have two sons named Ivo and Nauris. Besides Latvian, Raimonds Vējonis also speaks Russian very well and can speak English.
Health
In January 2016, while he was president, Raimonds Vējonis became ill and was taken to the hospital. He had a serious infection that affected his heart. On January 20, he had heart surgery to fix the problem. Doctors replaced a heart valve that was damaged by the infection. It was later suggested that his illness might have started from an untreated throat infection.
He stayed in the hospital for some time and then went to a rehabilitation center to recover. He slowly started doing some work while recovering. Raimonds Vējonis fully returned to his official duties on March 30, 2016, after more than two months of recovery.
Awards and Honours
Raimonds Vējonis has received many awards and honours, both from Latvia and from other countries.
National Honours
- Order of the Three Stars: He was the Grand Master and Commander Grand Cross with Chain (from July 8, 2015).
- Order of Viesturs: He was the Grand Master and Grand Cross.
- Cross of Recognition: He was the Grand Master.
Foreign Honours
- Estonia: Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (April 2, 2019).
- Germany: Grand Cross special class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (February 22, 2019).
- Iceland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (November 16, 2018).
- Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (June 26, 2018).
- Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (June 11, 2018).
- Ukraine: The First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (November 22, 2018).
See also
In Spanish: Raimonds Vējonis para niños
