Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš

Prime Minister of Latvia

13 December 1964 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.

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Incumbent

Prime Minister of Latvia (2019-present) Arturs Krišjānis KariņšKariņš in 202023rd Prime Minister of LatviaIncumbentAssumed office 23 January 2019PresidentRaimonds Vējonis Egils LevitsPreceded by Māris KučinskisMember of the European ParliamentIn office 14 July 2009 – 23 January 2019ConstituencyLatviaMinister for EconomicsIn office 2 December 2004 – 7 April 2006Prime Minister Aigars KalvītisPreceded by Juris LujānsSucceeded by Aigars Štokenbergs Personal detailsBorn (1964-12-13 ) 13 December 1964 (age 56) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.CitizenshipLatvia, United StatesPolitical partyNew Era Party (2002–2011) Unity (2011–present) Spouse(s)Anda KariņaChildren4Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA, PhD)ProfessionLinguist, businessman, politicianSignatureWebsitekarins.lv Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš (born 13 December 1964) is an American-Latvian politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Latvia. A linguist and businessperson by profession, he previously served as Latvia's Minister of Economics and a Member of the European Parliament. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, to parents who had left Latvia during the Soviet occupation, he was active in the American Latvian community throughout his youth. After graduating with a bachelor's degree summa cum laude and PhD in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, Kariņš moved to Latvia in 1997 and founded a frozen food business. He helped found the New Era Party in 2002, which in 2011 merged with others to form the Unity Party (renamed New Unity in 2018). After serving as a deputy in Latvia's parliament (the Saeima), as Minister of Economics, and also as a Member of the European Parliament throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Kariņš was selected by New Unity to be its prime ministerial candidate in the 2018 Latvian parliamentary election. In the event, New Unity was the smallest party elected to the 13th Saeima. Following months of contentious negotiations in which leaders of the larger parties were unable to form a coalition, Kariņš was nominated by President Raimonds Vējonis in January 2019 as a compromise candidate to form a government. He took office on 23 January 2019, and survived a 58–33 vote of no confidence on 11 April 2019.