Edgars Rinkevics has been elected Latvia’s new president by the country’s parliament, making him the European Union’s first openly gay head of state.
The 49-year-old, who currently serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will take office on 8 July. He will also make history as the first openly gay president in the Baltic nations.
Rinkevics received 52 votes from Latvia’s 100-seat Saeima legislature, one more than required to win the presidency. “I am honoured and humbled to be elected as President of the Republic of Latvia, I will do my best to serve the people of Latvia well,” he wrote on social media on 31 May. “I thank Members of Parliament for their trust.” READ MORE: Trans rights gain ground despite rising European rhetoric Rinkevics previously served as a state secretary within the Defence Ministry and, in the 1990s, worked as a journalist, among other things.
He has been well received by the Latvian public during his time as Minister of Foreign Affairs for his support of Ukraine and tough stance towards Russia.