He will leave his work in the parliament as of today and will focus on professional challenges in the private sector.
Jurēvics emphasized that Kariņš has worked professionally and energetically for Latvia for more than 20 years.
“On behalf of the new unity, I would like to express my gratitude for tireless work for our country during these years. Krišjānis Kariņš is part of our team, and I know that he will not deny us his advice and support in the future,” stressed Jurēvics.
Jurēvics stated that it is currently unclear who will replace Kariņš in the Saeima, this issue will be resolved in the near future.
“Kariņš has worked in active politics for more than 20 years, devoting this time to serving the country of Latvia and its people. The development of Latvia as a democratic, European and transatlantic security space country has always been important to him. During these years, major crises have been overcome, important decisions have been made for the future of Latvia and Latvia has strengthened itself as a full-fledged European Union and NATO country,” stated his party member, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (JV).
Siliņa expressed her gratitude to Kariņas for her work for the good of the country, wishing for new opportunities in the next stage of her life that bring success, joy and satisfaction.
Kariņš returned to the Saeima in the spring after resigning from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. He resigned as a minister following a scandal over the use of private flights for business trips during his tenure as prime minister.
Kariņš was born on December 13, 1964 in the state of Delaware, USA. Studied at “Svētā Jāņas kolejja” university, as well as at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1988 and a doctorate in philosophy in 1996.
After moving to Latvia, he initially worked as a businessman – in 1994 he founded the company “Lāču leds” and was its president, later he was also the president of the company “Formula”. Kariņš was a guest lecturer at the University of Latvia, teaching courses in sociolinguistics to undergraduate and graduate students.
Kariņš got involved in politics and was one of the founders of the party “Jaunais laiks” (JL). In 2002, Kariņš ran for the Saeima elections from the JL list and was elected to the parliament.
After the resignation of Einar Repše’s government in 2004, the JL party recommended Kariņa for the post of Prime Minister. At that time, at the end of the government formation negotiations, JL refused its leader Repše’s candidacy for the position of prime minister, however, the State President Vaira Vīke-Freiberga nominated ZZS representative Induli Emsi for this position.
Even after the resignation of Emša’s government at the end of 2004, the JL board nominated Kariņa as the party’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister. However, the president entrusted the formation of the new government to one of the leaders of the People’s Party (TP), Aigars Kalvītis. As a result, Kariņš became the Minister of Economy in the government of Kalvīš. He was also appointed as the chairman of the board of the Privatization Agency and suspended his mandate as a deputy for the duration of his ministerial duties.
Kariņš resigned from the position of Minister of Economy in April 2006, because JL left the Kalvīš government. Kariņš continued to work in the parliament after leaving the government after renewing his mandate as a member of the Saeima. Successfully competing in the 9th Saeima elections, Kariņš worked for almost three more years. For a little less than a year, Kariņš headed the JL Saeima faction. He worked in the Saeima’s Budget and Finance (Tax) Commission, as well as in the Public Expenditure and Audit Commission.
Kariņš took part in the EP elections in 2009 from the JL list, and in 2014 – from the “Vienotības” list. Kariņš was elected to the EP both times.
In 2019, the then State President Raimonds Vējonis decided to nominate Kariņa, a politician from “Jaunās Vienotības” (JV), for the position of prime minister. On January 23, the Saeima approved Kariņš’s government and he became the Prime Minister.
In the 2022 14th Saeima elections, Kariņš was the JV prime minister’s candidate. In the elections JV won 26 mandates, Union of Greens and Farmers – 16, United List – 15, National Union – 13, “For stability!” – 11, “Progressives” – 10, and “Latvija first” – nine.
(The prime minister’s comment was added in paragraphs 6 and 7 of the news.)
2024-08-29 09:53:31