Edgars Rinkevics

Edgars Rinkevics, born September 21, 1973, in Jurmala, has served as the 11th President of Latvia since July 8, 2023. He previously served as Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2023 and held earlier positions including head of the Chancery of the President and deputy of the Saeima; he has been an independent since taking office, after earlier affiliations with the Latvian Way, Reform, and Unity parties. In 2014 he became the first Latvian lawmaker to publicly come out, announcing his homosexuality on Twitter, and upon becoming president he became the first openly gay head of state of a European Union country. He holds a degree in history and philosophy from the University of Latvia and master's degrees in political science and from the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.