Visvaldis Latsis Latvian politician and publicist Country: Latvia

1. Biography of Visvaldis Lācis
2. Early Life and Military Service
3. Post-War Education and Political Activism
4. Political Career and Achievements

Biography of Visvaldis Lācis

Visvaldis Lācis is a Latvian politician and publicist who served as a deputy in the ninth Saeima of Latvia from 2010 to 2011. He was a former legionnaire of the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, as well as a philologist by education. In 1995, he was awarded the Order of the Three Stars.

Early Life and Military Service

Visvaldis Lācis was born in Valmiera, Latvia, but his family later moved to Riga. His father was an officer in the Latvian army and a veteran of the Latvian War of Independence. In March 1943, Lācis was called up to the Latvian Legion of the SS. According to historian A. R. Dyukov, he voluntarily joined the collaborationist formation in 1941. Lācis took part in the battles for the Courland pocket and was wounded twice. After the surrender, he was sent to a filtration camp but did not face any repression.

Post-War Education and Political Activism

After the war, Lācis attended the 1st Moscow State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages, as he had been expelled from two universities in the Latvian SSR due to his views. In 1988, he joined the People's Front of Latvia and became the chairman of the Latvian National Independence Movement (LNIM) in 1991. Following 1993, Lācis worked in the field of publicistic.

Political Career and Achievements

In October 2006, Lācis was elected as a member of the Latvian Parliament from the Union of Greens and Farmers. He served as the secretary of the Saeima commission on defense, internal affairs, and anti-corruption. In November, he became a member of the Latvian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In 2007, he proposed entrusting law enforcement agencies with ensuring the security of the planned march of the SS legionnaires.

In 2009, Lācis led the list of the "Everything for Latvia!" party in the European Parliament elections, receiving 2.8% of the votes. He was re-elected to the Saeima in 2010 from the "Everything for Latvia!" and "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" bloc and became the chairman of the Saeima commission on the implementation of the Citizenship Law. In 2011, he left the "Everything for Latvia!" party and the National Alliance faction in the Saeima.