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Valdis DombrovskisLatvian politician, candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Latvia.
Date of Birth: 05.07.1971
Country:  Latvia |
Content:
- Valdis Dombrovskis: A Distinguished Latvian Statesman
- Academic and Research Career
- Political Career
- Minister of Finance
- European Parliament
- Leadership of Latvia
- Personal Life
Valdis Dombrovskis: A Distinguished Latvian Statesman
Early Life and EducationValdis Dombrovskis was born in Riga, Latvia, on August 5, 1971. He graduated from Riga Secondary School No. 58 in 1989 and pursued a Bachelor's degree in Physics at the University of Latvia, which he obtained in 1993. Dombrovskis then studied at the University of Mainz in Germany, where he earned a Master's degree in Physics in 1996. Concurrently, he studied Economics at the Riga Technical University, ultimately receiving a Bachelor's degree in that field.
Academic and Research Career
During his undergraduate studies, Dombrovskis worked as a laboratory assistant at the Institute of Solid State Physics at the University of Latvia (1991-1993), the Department of Semiconductor Physics at the University of Latvia (1993-1995), and the Institute of Physics at the University of Mainz (1995-1996). In 1997, he taught at the Department of Semiconductor Physics at the University of Latvia before pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland (1997-1998). He returned to Latvia in 1998 to join the Bank of Latvia, where he initially held a position as a junior staff member in the Macroeconomic Analysis Department.
Political Career
Entry into PoliticsIn February 2002, Einars Repše, then-President of the Bank of Latvia, invited Dombrovskis to join the newly formed center-right political party "New Era" (Jaunais Laiks). The party won the largest share of seats in the Latvian Parliament in the October 2002 elections. Upon becoming Prime Minister, Repše appointed Dombrovskis as Minister of Finance in November 2002.
Minister of Finance
As Minister of Finance, Dombrovskis was often seen as overshadowed by Repše and other party members. He declared early on that Latvia would not be able to adopt the euro before 2004. The opposition criticized Dombrovskis' handling of the economy, particularly the shift from a budget surplus of 0.8% in 2002 to a projected deficit of 2% in 2004. He was also embroiled in a scandal involving the cancellation of a debt owed to the Latvian State Revenue Service by the bankrupt company Dinaz nafta, whose management was accused of defrauding the state budget.
European Parliament
In the wake of the collapse of the ruling coalition in early 2004, Dombrovskis was elected as one of nine Latvian representatives to the European Parliament from the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats group. He served on the Committee on Budgets and other committees related to EU cooperation and relations with Central Asian countries. Dombrovskis also participated in an election observation mission in Togo in 2007.
Leadership of Latvia
In February 2009, amidst the global economic crisis, Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis resigned. President Valdis Zatlers nominated Dombrovskis, as an opposition party leader, to form a new government. With support from several parties in Parliament, Dombrovskis was confirmed as Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister, Dombrovskis faced the challenges of restoring the Latvian economy, addressing administrative inefficiencies, reforming tax policy, and supporting industry and entrepreneurship. He was also responsible for overseeing the disbursement of a €7.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to help Latvia overcome the crisis.
Personal Life
Valdis Dombrovskis is married. He is fluent in Latvian, English, Russian, and German, and has basic proficiency in Spanish.
