Latvia on Wednesday, 31 May, elected Edgars Rinkēvičs, who has been the country's foreign minister since 2016, as its head of state, making him the first openly gay president in all of the European Union nations. He will assume office on 8 July.
In a close fight, Rinkēvičs, a member of the Unity Party, got 52 votes in the 100-seat legislature – one vote more than what was required to win – while his closest rival, Uldis Pīlēns, got 25 votes in the third round of voting.
After the elections, Rinkēvičs tweeted that he was "honoured and humbled to be elected as President of the Republic of Latvia."
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In 2014, Rinkēvičs took to Twitter to announce that he is gay, making him the first lawmaker in Latvia to openly discuss his sexual orientation and establishing him as the most notable openly gay politician in the state, which was formerly a part of the Soviet Bloc.
Rinkēvičs, who is 49 years old, held various positions throughout his career, including serving as a state secretary with the Defense Ministry and working as a journalist for Latvian Radio during the 1990s. As the foreign minister, he gained significant popularity among Latvians due to his firm stance towards Russia, and his consistent support for Ukraine.
After being ruled by the Soviets for about five decades, Latvia regained its independence in 1991. Rinkēvičs will become the 11th leader of the state of Latvia. Since 2004, the country has been a member of both NATO and the European Union.
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