Valdis Birkavs

Valdis Birkavs
Birkavs in 2011
11thPrime Minister of Latvia
In office 3 August 1993 – 15 September 1994
President	Guntis Ulmanis
Preceded by	Ivars Godmanis
Succeeded by	Māris Gailis
Personal details
Born	(1942-07-28)28 July 1942 Riga,Ostland(nowLatvia)
Political party	CPSU Latvian Way
Alma mater	University of Latvia
Profession	Lawyer

Valdis Birkavs(born 28 July 1942) is aLatvianpolitician. He was born inRiga.Birkavs attended the University of Latvia, where he studied philosophy, sociology, law, psychology and mathematical logic.He was first elected to the Latvian parliamentin 1990and helped to found theLatvian Wayparty. After Latvian Way won the1993 parliamentary election,Birkavs became theprime minister,leading a coalition government of Latvian Way and theLatvian Farmers' Union.He resigned after the Farmer's Union left the government in the summer of 1994. He then became the deputy prime minister andforeign ministerin the next government. He remained the foreign minister for five years under four different prime ministers, eventually resigning in 1999. In the presidential elections of 1999 (Latvia's president is chosen by the Parliament), he was nominated as a candidate and received second place. He was then appointed as minister of justice, and served in that position until 2000.

Birkavs is a member of theClub of Madrid,an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.

In 1999 he was elected as the European of the Year in Latvia. In 2000 Birkavs was awarded with the 2nd class of theOrder of the Three Stars.

See also

• Birkavs cabinet