Valdis Zatlers

Infobox President
name = Valdis Zatlers


order = President of Latvia
primeminister = Aigars Kalvītis
Ivars Godmanis
vicepresident =
term_start = 08 July 2007
term_end =
predecessor = Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age|1955|03|22|df=y
birth_place = Latvia (at the time: Latvian SSR)
party = Independent
spouse = Lilita Zatlere
occupation = Orthopedic surgeon
residence = Riga, Latvia

Valdis Zatlers (born March 22, 1955) is the 7th and current president of Latvia. He won the Latvian presidential election of May 31, 2007. [cite news |title= Latvia elects doctor as president |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6707233.stm |publisher= BBC News |date= 2007-05-31 |accessdate=2007-06-01 ] He became President of Latvia on 8 July 2007. [cite news |title=Unknown surgeon elected president |url=http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/18004/ |publisher=The Baltic Times |date=2007-06-06 |accessdate=2007-06-12]

Medical career

Valdis Zatlers is an orthopedic surgeon, who graduated from the Institute of Medicine in Riga in 1979. After studies he worked at Riga Hospital No. 2 and became chief of its traumatology unit in 1985. He was the director of the Latvian Traumatology and Orthopaedics Hospital since 1994 and chief of its board since 1998, he left these offices on 5 July 2007. [en icon cite web |url=http://www.president.lv/pk/content/?cat_id=2192 |title=Valdis Zatlers' Curriculum vitae |accessdate=2007-10-15 |publisher=Chancery of the President of Latvia ]

Zatlers participated in the cleanup operations after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. On 27 April 2007, he received the Order of the Three Stars (Trīs Zvaigžņu Ordenis) of the 4th rank for his contributions in care for health of the patients and promotion of orthopedics in Latvia. [lv icon cite news |url=http://www.apollo.lv/portal/news/72/articles/126550 |title=Zatleram piešķirs Triju Zvaigžņu ordeni, Viestura ordeni un Atzinības krustu |date=2008-04-30 |accessdate=2008-04-30 |publisher=apollo.lv ]

Political career

Valdis Zatlers was a board member of the Popular Front of Latvia in 1988-1989. [cite news | url=http://eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=8967 | title=Profile: Valdis Zatlers - surgeon, political newcomer, president | work=eux.tv | date=May 31, 2007 | accessdate=2007-06-14] On May 22, 2007, the ruling parliamentary coalition of the Latvian Saeima officially nominated Zatlers as its presidential candidate. [lv icon cite news |title=Koalīcijas partijas izvirza Zatleru Valsts prezidenta amatam |url= http://www.apollo.lv/portal/news/72/articles/100410/0 |work= apollo.lv | date= 2007-05-22 |accessdate=2007-06-01] Zatlers himself is not a member of any political party, but had signed the manifesto of the People's Party when the party was founded in 1998.

Controversy

Before his election he confessed that as a doctor he had accepted private donations from his patients. Transparency International has questioned the legality of this practice. [cite news |title=TI Latvia Asks KNAB, VID To Explain Whether Valdis Zatlers Could be Charged With Criminal Offences for Accepting Payments, Other Benefits From Patients |url= http://www.delna.lv/eng/?q=ful&story=299&sec=181&PHPSESSID=c74aef90a88034d082158851da67c98a | work = delna.lv | accessdate=2007-06-01] Zatlers' supporters point out that donations of this form are accepted by many Latvian doctors. The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) characterized Zatlers' behaviour as improper and has said that it will not finalize its investigation of the matter for several months. [lv icon cite news |title=Kalvītis: ārstu 'pateicības' ir valdības, nevis Zatlera problēma |url= http://www.delfi.lv/archive/article.php?id=18034178&ndate=1180472400&categoryID=17810707| work=delfi.lv |date=2007-05-30 |accessdate=2007-06-02] In July 2008, KNAB ruled that Zatlers hadn't violated the law by accepting these donations. [lv icon cite news | title=KNAB nesodīs Zatleru par ņemtajām pateicībām, taču ierosina jaunu pārbaudi | url=http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/article.php?id=553897 | date=2008-07-22 | accessdate=2008-07-23]

Opposing politicians have criticized Zatlers for not paying taxes on these gifts. The State Revenue Service, which had previously requested him to pay taxes on the gifts, fined Zatlers 250 Lats. [lv icon cite news |title= VID: Zatleram jāsamaksā nodokļi par 'aplokšņu' atlīdzību|url= http://www.delfi.lv/archive/article.php?id=18064309&ndate=1180558800&categoryID=17810707 |work=delfi.lv |date=2007-05-31 | accessdate=2007-06-02] [lv icon cite news |title=Zatlers samaksājis 250 latu sodu par neprecizitātēm ienākumu deklarācijā|url=http://www.delfi.lv/news/national/politics/article.php?id=18371038|work=delfi.lv |date=2007-07-04 | accessdate=2007-07-05]

In 2003, Zatlers was a subject of an investigation by KNAB anti-corruption office. The investigation was started based on a request by Āris Auders, a former subordinate of Zatlers who had become the Minister of Healthcare. Auders had accused Zatlers in buying low-quality spinal implants from companies run by Zatlers' wife and the deputy director of Zatlers' hospital. The investigation cleared Zatlers of all charges. [lv icon cite news |title=Zatlers ir prezidents |url=http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/prezidents/article.php?id=501445| work=tvnet.lv/LETA |date=2007-05-31 |accessdate=2007-06-02]

Personal life

Valdis Zatlers is married to Lilita Zatlere and has three children.

References

External links

* [http://www.president.lv/?lng=en Chancery of the President of Latvia]