Latvia’s parliament has elected Edgars Rinkevics, the country’s long-serving Foreign Minister, as its new president. Rinkevics' election is historic as he is the first European Union leader to come out as gay. Rinkevics has served as Latvia’s top envoy for almost 12 years and has been a consistent advocate for supporting Ukraine and a vocal critic of the Kremlin.
Rinkevics was appointed by Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’ ruling party earlier this month, but the party faced political gridlock trying to settle on a single candidate for the presidency, prompting the possibility of a new government. Rinkevics was eventually elected by 52 lawmakers in the 100-seat legislature in Riga to succeed President Egils Levits.
After the vote, Rinkevics addressed Latvia's youth, encouraging them to strive to "break the glass ceiling" in pursuing their ambitions. Rinkevics pledged to work towards making Latvia a more united and prosperous society while ensuring the country remains safe.
In 2014, Rinkevics became the first top official in Latvia, which has a population of 1.9 million people, to announce that he was gay. While the European Union has had several gay prime ministers — including Ireland’s Leo Varadkar and Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg — Rinkevics is the first openly gay Head of State in a member state's highest office.
San Marino, a microstate of 34,000 in central Italy, is set to elect openly gay Paolo Rondelli to be one of its two heads of state, or captains regent, in 2022. The Baltic region has trailed other parts of Europe in advancing rights for LGBTQ people, and a bill in Latvia’s parliament approving civil unions has stalled despite a ruling by the Constitutional Court granting rights to same-sex couples.
In neighboring Estonia, lawmakers are set to approve the legalization of gay marriage, which would make the country the first former Soviet republic to do so. Rinkevics's appointment comes at a time when the rights of LGBTQ people in Eastern Europe are gaining increased attention and support.