Evika Siliņa

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Evika Siliņa
Siliņa in 2023
24th Prime Minister of Latvia
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 September 2023
PresidentEdgars Rinkēvičs
Preceded byKrišjānis Kariņš
Minister of Welfare [lv]
In office
14 December 2022 – 15 September 2023
Prime MinisterKrišjānis Kariņš
Preceded byGatis Eglītis
Succeeded byUldis Augulis
Member of the Saeima
In office
1 November 2022 – 14 December 2022
Personal details
Born (1975-08-03) 3 August 1975 (age 49)[1]
Riga, Latvia
Political partyUnity[2]
Other political
affiliations		Reform Party (formerly)
SpouseAigars Siliņš
Children3
EducationUniversity of Latvia
Riga Graduate School of Law

Evika Siliņa (/ˈɛvɪkə ˈsɪlɪnɪə/; Latvian: [ˈævika ˈsiliɲa]; born 3 August 1975) is a Latvian lawyer and politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Latvia since 15 September 2023.[3] From 2022 to 2023, she served as Minister of Welfare [lv] in the second cabinet of prime minister Krišjānis Kariņš.[4][5] She is a member of the Unity political party, and the second female head of government of Latvia.

Early life

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Siliņa was born in Riga[6] on 3 August 1975.[1] She studied at the University of Latvia from 1993 to 1997, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in law and at the Riga Graduate School of Law for a master's degree in social sciences, international law, and European law.[7]

From 2003 to 2012, Siliņa worked as a lawyer specializing in international and domestic business law. Her clients included firms in telecommunications and IT as well as government bodies.[1]

Political career

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In the 2011 Latvian parliamentary election, Siliņa ran as a candidate of the Zatlers' Reform Party in Riga, but was not elected.[8] From 2011 to 2012, she was a legal adviser to the Minister of Interior.[2]

Siliņa served as the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Interior from January 2013 until 23 January 2019.[9] During her tenure as the Ministry of Interior's Secretary, Silina was praised for her openness to journalists, as well as for her fight against synthetic cannabinoids and their circulation in Latvia.[10][11] She also represented the Ministry in international organizations such as the United Nations, INTERPOL, and CEPOL.[12]

Following the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš on 23 January 2019, she assumed the role of Parliamentary Secretary [lv] to the Prime Minister.[13][14]

Siliņa ran as a New Unity party candidate in the 2022 Latvian parliamentary election and was elected to the 14th Saeima.[15]

On 6 December 2022, Siliņa was appointed as the Minister of Welfare in the Krišjānis Kariņš' cabinet.[16] The new cabinet was confirmed on 14 December.[17]

As the Minister of Welfare, increasing minimum income was one of her main objectives.[18] On 23 February 2023, she was appointed by the Prime Minister as a member of the newly formed Thematic Committee on European Union Funds.[19] On 4 July 2023, her Ministry brought to the Saeima ratification of the Istanbul Convention with some reservations and the non-support of the government partner National Alliance.[20][21]

Prime Minister of Latvia (2023–present)

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Siliņa with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Helsinki, 24 November 2023

On 16 August 2023, after the resignation of Krišjānis Kariņš, the New Unity nominated Siliņa as a candidate for the post of prime minister.[22] On 24 August, she was asked by President Edgars Rinkēvičs to form a government.[23]

On 29 August, United List declined to be part of a four-party coalition government following the offer by Siliņa.[24] On 1 September, Siliņa indicated that she intended to forge a new parliamentary majority with the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) and The Progressives (P).[25] Twelve days later she unveiled the composition of the new government, in which New Unity (JV) had seven ministries, ZZS four and P three, with Krišjānis Kariņš recalled as Minister of Foreign Affairs.[26]

The government coalition led by Siliņa won the confidence of the parliamentary majority in the Saeima on 15 September 2023, receiving 53 votes.[27] In her speech, the new Prime Minister emphasized the need to be more inclusive, which was interpreted as prioritizing gender equality and other progressive goals. For the Russian-speaking minority, inclusion assumes elimination of the "non-citizen" status and integration into the Latvian-based education system.[6] The government also aims to increase the military budget and complete the construction of the barrier on the country's border with Russia and Belarus.[6] Siliņa is the second woman to become prime minister of Latvia, following Laimdota Straujuma in 2014–2016.[28]

Personal life

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Evika Siliņa is married to Aigars Siliņš, with whom she has three children.[2][6]

As well as her native language of Latvian, Siliņa is fluent in English and Russian.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Parlamentārā sekretāre – Iekšlietu ministrija". 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Evika Siliņa (CV)". Puaro.lv (in Latvian). 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. ^ redakcija, LSM.lv Ziņu (15 September 2023). "Saeima ar 53 balsīm apstiprina Evikas Siliņas valdību". lsm.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Evika Siliņa is New Unity's party pick for PM". eng.lsm.lv. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Latvia Minister Silina Poised to Succeed Karins as Prime Minister". Bloomberg.com. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Evika Silina führt Lettlands neue Regierungskoalition". Die Presse (in German). 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Evika Siliņa". 26 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  8. ^ "11. Saeimas vēlēšanas, Centrālā vēlēšanu komisija". Archived from the original on 26 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Ministru prezidente". Government of Latvia. 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  10. ^ Zvirbulis, Girst (15 February 2016). "Kurš patiesībā vada Iekšlietu ministriju? 23". La.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Evika Siliņa: narkotiku lietošanas ierobežošanā jārīkojas proaktīvi". lvportals.lv (in Latvian). 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Kas ir Jaunās Vienotības izvirzītā premjera amata kandidāte Evika Siliņa?". tvnet.lv (in Latvian). 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  13. ^ Lūse, Lolita (26 October 2022). "Kariņa "labā roka" Evika Siliņa: Es esmu augs, kas nav lolots labā augsnē". Santa.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2023.
  14. ^ Libeka, Māra (17 August 2023). "Evika Siliņa – cita veida jaunā līdere?". Lasi.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Latvian minister Evika Silina asked to take PM role". euractiv.com. 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  16. ^ ERR, ERR News | (6 December 2022). "New Latvian coalition ministerial posts announced". ERR. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Saeima confirms the new Karins government". The Baltic Times. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Welfare Minister: Raising minimum income level is priority". lsm.lv. 27 December 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  19. ^ "'EU Fund Committee' formed by PM Kariņš". lsm.lv. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Welfare Ministry puts forward ratification of Istanbul Convention with reference to Constitutional values for approval". The Baltic Times. 4 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Minister on Istanbul Convention: stereotypes are hardest to fight". lsm.lv. 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  22. ^ ""Jaunā Vienotība" oficiāli virza premjera amatam labklājības ministri Eviku Siliņu". lsm.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  23. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Latvian Minister Asked To Take PM Role". barrons.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  24. ^ "United List declines Siliņa's four-party coalition offer". lsm.lv. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  25. ^ "No more tangos: Siliņa to offer another three-party coalition with reduced Saeima majority". lsm.lv. 1 September 2023. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Precise shape of proposed new Latvian government revealed". lsm.lv. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  27. ^ Eglitis, Aaron. "Latvia Gets New Prime Minister Evika Silina With Parliament Majority". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Evika Siliņa is Latvia's new prime minister". Politico. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
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Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Latvia
2023–present 		Incumbent
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