1. Benedict (Viktor) Gombocz

2.  Location: Northern Europe, bordering the
Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
 Official name: Republic of Latvia
 Area
 Total: 64,589 sq km
 Country comparison to the world: 124
 Land: 62,249 sq km
 Water: 2,340 sq km
 Area – comparative: Slightly larger than
West Virginia
 Land boundaries:
 Total: 1,382 km
 Border countries: Belarus 171 km, Estonia
343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 292 km
 Coastline: 498 km

4.  Christianity is the largest religion traditionally
practiced in Latvia.
 2011 statistics:
 Lutheranism is the major Christian  Lutheranism: 34.2%
denomination among ethnic Latvians, owing
to strong historical ties with the Nordic  Roman Catholicism: 24.1%
countries and Northern Germany.
 Eastern Orthodoxy: 17.8%
 Roman Catholicism is most widespread in
Eastern Latvia (Latgale), owning in large part  Old Believers: 1.6%
to Polish influence.
 Other Christians: 1.2%
 The third biggest Christian church in Latvia is
the Latvian Orthodox Church, whose  Other/none: 21.1%
members are an overwhelming majority
Russian-speaking immigrants from Soviet
times, and their offspring.
 Additionally, a significant portion of Latvians
do not claim practice of any religion.

6.  Latvia’s politics function in a structure of a parliamentary representative
democratic republic, whereby the PM presides over the government and a
multi-party structure.
 The President takes on a chiefly formal role as Head of State.
 The government exercises executive power.
 Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the Saeima.
 The Judiciary is independent of both the executive and the legislature.

7.  Capital (and largest city): Riga
 Official languages: Latvian
 Demonym: Latvian
 Government: Parliamentary republic
 President: Andris Bērziņš
 Prime Minister: Valdis Dombrovskis
 Legislature: Saeima

8. Office: President Office of President
 Parliament elects the President for a limit of two four-year terms,
 Name: Andris Bērziņš through a secret ballot and an absolute majority of the vote
(Constitution of Latvia, Articles 35, 36 and 39).
 Party: Union of Greens and Farmers
 The President is a mostly traditional Head of State; in common
with other presidents in parliamentary democracies, the President
 Since: 8 July 2011 of Latvia has influence and authority, as opposed to power.
 Even though the President is properly the Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces, approves treaties, represents Latvia overseas,
and formally nominates diplomats and other important officials,
these powers are constitutionally exercised on the PM’s obligatory
recommendation; she/he is politically responsible for them
(Constitution of Latvia, Article 53).
 On the other hand, the President does have personal judgment
over the suggestion of legislation to Parliament, rejecting
legislation, calling referendums on legislation, and appointing the
PM.
 The President can additionally, in extremis, call a referendum on
Parliament’s early termination: Parliament is terminated if the
referendum passes; if the referendum fails, the President has to
resign.

9. Office: Prime Minister Office of Prime Minister
 Name: Valdis Dombrovskis  The President names the PM.
 Party: New Era Party  The PM subsequently selects the
Council of Ministers, or
 Since: 12 March 2009
Cabinet, which needs to be accepted
 Other government parties: by the Parliament.
ZSS, TP, LPP, TB/LNNK, Civic Union  The Parliament can dismiss the PM
and her/his Cabinet through a no-
confidence vote (Constitution of
Latvia, Article 59).

10.  The unicameral Parliament of Latvia (Saeima) consists of 100 affiliates,
elected to a term of four years through proportional representation with a
5% threshold.
 Parliamentary elections in Latvia occur on the first Saturday of October.
 Locally, Latvia elects municipal councils, comprising 7-60 affiliates,
depending on the municipality’s size, as well as through proportional
representation to a four-year term.

11.  Harmony Centre (Saskaņas Centrs, SC)
 Unity (Vienotība, V)
 Zatlers’ Reform Party (Zatlera reformu
partija, ZRP)
 National Alliance (Nacionālā
apvienība, NA)
 Union of Greens and Farmers (Zaļo un
Zemnieku Savienība, ZZS)
 Latvia’s First Party/Latvian Way (Latvijas
Pirmā Partija/Latvijas Ceļš, LPP/LC)
 For Human Rights in United Latvia (Par
cilvēka tiesībām vienotā Latvijā, PCTVL)

12.  Nominations of judges are confirmed by Parliament; with the exception of the
Judicial Disciplinary Board’s decision or a criminal court’s ruling, those nominations
are irreversible.
 There is also a special Constitutional Court that has the power to rule on the
constitutionality of laws; its affiliates have to be confirmed through an absolute
majority vote of Parliament, through a secret ballot.

13.  BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, ITUC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO, WTrO (applicant).

14.  Born 10 December 1944 in Nītaure.
 8th and current President of Latvia; was sworn in on 8 July 2011 after
having won the presidential election held on 2 June.
 Was the President of Latvijas Unibanka, a joint-stock company, from
1993-2004.
 Completed studies at a Nītaure primary school, in 1958; attended the first
secondary school of Sigulda from 1958-1962.
 Later studied at the Riga Polytechnical Institute; graduated in 1971 and
went on to be a radio engineer at the “Elektrons” factory.
 Worked his way to director position and was named deputy minister of
municipal services of the Latvian SSR in 1988; also studied at the Latvian
State University’s Economic Faculty, graduating in 1988.
 Was elected to the Valmiera district Council (Soviet) of People’s Deputies
in 1989; was nominated chairman of the district’s administrative
commission.
 Was elected to the Latvian SSR’s Supreme Council in 1990, and
represented Valmiera, joining the Supreme Council’s Latvian Popular
Front section.
 Voted for the declaration that won Latvia’s independence, on 4 May 1990.
 Became chairman of the Bank of Latvia’s Privatization Fund following the
conclusion of his term as deputy in 1993; also owned a variety of land
properties.
 Worked as a consultant to the Stockholms Enskilda Bank Latvian
branch’s president; was a board affiliate of various joint-stock companies,
such as Valmiera stikla šķiedra (Valmiera fiberglass) and Lode.

15.  Born 5 August 1971 in Riga; was born to a
family with Polish origins.
 PM of Latvia since 12 March 2009.
 Served as Minister of Finance from 2002-2004;
was an MEP for the New Era Party.
 Obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics for
engineers from Riga Technical University in
1995 and a master’s degree in physics from the
University of Latvia in 1996.
 Worked as a laboratory subordinate at the
University of Mainz’s Institute of Physics in
Mainz, Germany from 1995-1996, as an
assistant of the University of Latvia’s Institute
of Solid-State Physics in 1997, and as a research
assistant at the A. James Clark School of
Engineering at the University of Maryland,
College Park, in 1998.

16.  Political alliance in Latvia; was founded in 2005 and its affiliate parties are
the Social Democratic Party “Harmony” and the Socialist Party of Latvia
(the Social Democratic Party “Harmony” was founded in 2010 when the
National Harmony Party, the Social Democratic Party, the New Centre
and later the Daugavpils City Party merged).
 Its chairman since the autumn of 2005 is journalist Nils Ušakovs (Riga
city councillor and head of the NC Sergejs Dolgopolovs was its first
chairman).
 Acquired 14.42% (130,887 votes) in the 2006 parliamentary
election, taking 17/100 seats; became the fourth biggest parliamentary
party and the second biggest opposition party.
 The alliance was joined in January 2009 by the Social Democratic Union
(Latvian: Sociāldemokrātu savienība, SDS).
 Was the second most voted of Latvia’s parties in the 2009 EP election;
won 19.57% (154,894 votes) and claimed 2/8 MEPs seats.
 Became the second Latvian political force and the largest opposition
alliance in the 2010 parliamentary election; won 26.04% (251,397 votes)
with 29/100 seats.
 Had the biggest number of votes (28.26%) and seats (31/100 seats) in the
subsequent 2011 parliamentary election, although it remains in opposition
– in part because of its political positions being seen by the majority
ethnic-Latvian parties as unable to coexist with the national interests of
the Latvian people.
 Its political positions include: Social democracy, progressive income
taxation, minority rights, participatory democracy, internationalisation of
higher education, and an improved relationship with Russia; in economic
terms, it backs increased social spending for the purpose of boosting the
economy and increasing the general wellbeing.

17.  Liberal-conservative political party; was founded
as an electoral alliance of New Era Party, the Civic
Union and the Society for Other Politics on 6
March 2010.
 Was allegedly founded in an offer to create a
counterbalance to the left-wing Harmony Centre
alliance, whose numbers were elevating in polls
and elections, while the other right-wing parties
(People’s Party, For Fatherland and
Freedom/LNNK and LPP/LC) were under the 5%
electoral threshold.
 The alliance became a sole political party on 6
August 2011.
 Is a member of the EPP at the European level.
 Solvita Āboltiņa, its current leader, is the Speaker
of the Saeima.
 Valdis Dombrovskis is the current PM; five
additional Unity affiliates serve as ministers in the
current government.