Aigars Kalvītis

Infobox Prime Minister
name = Aigars Kalvītis


order = Prime Minister of Latvia
president = Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
Valdis Zatlers
deputy =
term_start = 02 December 2004
term_end = 20 December 2007
predecessor = Indulis Emsis
successor = Ivars Godmanis
birth_date = birth date and age|1966|06|27|df=y
birth_place =
party = People's Party
spouse =
occupation =
residence =

Aigars Kalvītis (born June 27, 1966) is a Latvian politician and the former Prime Minister of Latvia.

Kalvītis graduated from Latvian University of Agriculture in 1992 with a degree in economics. From 1992 to 1998, he was a manager at various agriculture-related businesses. Kalvītis was one of the founders of People's Party of Latvia in 1997 and was first elected to Saeima, the Latvian parliament, in 1998. He served as the minister of agriculture from 1999 to 2000 and the minister of economics from 2000 to 2002. Kalvītis was reelected to Saeima and became the leader of the parliamentary faction of People's Party in 2002.

On December 2, 2004, he became the Prime Minister of Latvia. Kalvītis at first led a coalition government consisting of his own People's Party, the New Era Party, the Union of Greens and Farmers and the Latvia's First Party. In April 2006, the New Era Party left the government and Kalvītis led a minority coalition government consisting of the other three parties.

His governing coalition retained power in the October 7, 2006 parliamentary election, winning a slight majority of seats and becoming the first government since Latvian independence in 1991 to be re-elected. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5416778.stm "Latvian coalition retains power"] , BBC News, October 8, 2006.] It now consists of the People's Party, Union of Greens and Farmers, the Latvia First/Latvian Way Party, and the Fatherland and Freedom Party. The Fatherland and Freedom Party was added after the 2006 elections, and strengthens the coalition's majority to 59 of the 100 seats. Meanwhile, the People’s Party became the largest party in Parliament. Kalvītis became its chairman.

On November 7, 2007, Kalvītis announced that he would step down on December 5, after encountering widespread opposition to his dismissal of the head of the anti-corruption bureau, Aleksejs Loskutovs, in the previous month. [ [http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-11-07-voa66.cfm "Latvian PM Bows to Growing Pressure, Announces Resignation"] , VOA News, November 7, 2007.] He accordingly met with President Valdis Zatlers on December 5 and announced his resignation, along with that of his government. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/56EFD58A-EC96-48BC-834B-07F63AEAAC5F.htm "Latvian government steps down"] , Al Jazeera, December 5, 2007.] [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-12/06/content_6302839.htm "Latvian gov't announces resignation"] , Xinhua (chinadaily.com.cn), December 6, 2007.] According to Kalvītis, speaking on television on the same day, this was necessary to "cool down hot heads". Kalvītis remained in office in a caretaker capacity until the appointment of his successor Ivars Godmanis.

References