Evika Silina Prime Minister of Latvia from 15 September 2023 Date of Birth: 03.08.1975 Country: Latvia

1. Evika Siliņa: Prime Minister of Latvia
2. Early Life and Education
3. Legal Career
4. Political Career
5. Prime Ministership
6. Personal Life

Evika Siliņa: Prime Minister of Latvia

Evika Siliņa has been the Prime Minister of Latvia since September 15, 2023. She is the second woman to hold this position, after Laimdota Straujuma (2014-2016).

Early Life and Education

Siliņa was born on August 3, 1975, in the Latvian SSR. She studied law at the University of Latvia in Riga from 1993 to 1997, earning a qualification as a jurist. She also studied comparative constitutional law under the Eurofaculty program at SGBM from 1996 to 1997. She further pursued her education at Riga Graduate School of Law from 1999 to 2001, earning a Master of Science in International and European Law.

Legal Career

Siliņa began her legal career as a legal adviser at the law firm of Gintars Antoms from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 1999, she was a legal adviser at Koblenz. From 1998 to 2003, she worked as an assistant attorney at Lata Law Firm. From 2003 to 2012, she practiced independently as an attorney, collaborating with legal departments of governmental organizations and NGOs.

Political Career

Siliņa entered politics in 2011 when she ran on the list of Zatlers' Reform Party but was not elected. She became an external legal adviser to Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis in November 2011 and became full-time in 2012. She provided legal advice on policy development and implementation within the Ministry of Interior.

From 2013 to 2019, Siliņa served as Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, representing the ministry in parliamentary commissions and coordinating the development of policy documents. She also handled issues related to child safety and represented the ministry in international organizations.

She is a member of the board of the center-right Unity Party. She ran on the Unity Party list in the 2014 and 2018 parliamentary elections but was not elected. She was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in the government led by Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, which was approved by the Latvian Parliament on January 23, 2019. Her responsibilities included coordinating cooperation between the Cabinet of Ministers and the Parliament, money laundering prevention, and support for the Ukrainian civilian population.

Following the parliamentary elections on October 1, 2022, Siliņa was elected as a member of the 14th Latvian Parliament on the list of the New Unity party alliance. On December 14, 2022, she became the Minister of Welfare in the second Kariņš government.

Prime Ministership

On August 14, 2023, Kariņš announced his resignation. On August 16, New Unity and Unity proposed Siliņa as the candidate for Prime Minister. On August 24, President Edgars Rinkēvičs officially asked Siliņa to form a new government. On September 15, the Latvian Parliament approved a coalition government led by Prime Minister Siliņa, consisting of New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers, and the center-left Progressive Party.

Personal Life

Siliņa is married and has three children. Her husband is lawyer Aigars Siliņš.