Rosenwalds says Linkevich’s first year as president can be viewed positively

According to him, the advantage of Linkevich compared to the former president of the country, Egils Levitas, is the ability to talk to people in a normal way, including and not only during working visits to the regions of Latvia. According to experts, the president shows interest and communication skills, which is not Levit’s strong point, because it seems that every time it is a small speech, which people do not like very much.

It is also important, the political scientist believes, that Linkevitch understands how dangerous social divisions are, which unfortunately not everyone realizes, that fostering divisions is irresponsible and can lead to problems, so it is necessary to find ways to achieve social equality.

Rosenwalds noted that Rinkēvič should more actively use the contacts he gained as foreign minister to promote the activities of Latvian companies and entrepreneurs in other countries. He also mentioned that the president said that such visits should be prepared and that it is useless to go simply to express the desire to develop cooperation without any concrete proposals.

The political scientist also praised the president’s ability to understand problems and seek compromises. This is evident, he stressed, in the hotly debated issue of the Russian language in public media. Last year, parliament approved the national security concept, which Rosenwald said included the idea put forward by the National Union that from January 1, 2026, content created in public media can only be in Latvian and English, languages ​​that belong to the European cultural space.

“It can be said that the concept was adopted when Linkevic was president, but it was prepared in advance. This makes us wonder how documents are prepared in general. The political stance is stated from the beginning, but then we think that in the current situation, we see that the president is looking for a compromise, which often leads to criticism of inconsistency. On the other hand, the law must be respected – broadcasting in minority languages ​​must be ensured, for example by changing the ratio,” Rosenwalds explained.

When asked if Rinkēvičs had faced such challenges during the year, the political scientist stressed that the past 12 months have been a single challenge, especially on the international stage, which has shown not only his ability to seek compromises, but also his firm stance. He said that there is no doubt that Rinkēvičs’ firm stance, as well as that of the other Baltic states and Poland, on issues related to the war in Ukraine is significant. Rosenwalds stressed that Rinkēvičs’ firm stance was one of the important moments when the EU’s ideas on what to do in the context of the war in Ukraine were changing.

President He does not shy away from expressing his opinions, for example on the work of the Civil Service Supervision Commission, and he has previously pointed out the unsatisfactory work of the Procuratorate and the “soft punishment” in national security issues. At the closing session of the spring session of the Parliament, the President called on deputies to “discuss the merits of the matter, rather than citing changes in the Cabinet’s regulations, laws or verses”. In addition, Rinkēvičs criticized the unsuccessful communication between the former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņas (JV) and the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the use of private flights by the then Prime Minister.

When asked what Rinkēvičs could change, Rozenvalds stressed that the first official of the state is not responsible for decision-making, but he listens to his opinions, so to a certain extent he has the opportunity to set the agenda by pointing out problems. The political scientist said that the president does not interfere in the competence of the executive branch or the courts, but he expresses his opinions.

“The opinions expressed by the president do not always immediately translate into legal norms. Of course, this does not exclude that the executive branch could have acted differently, but the president plays an important role in shaping public opinion and influence. Public sentiment is a tool at his disposal, which our most successful presidents have actively used, such as former President Vaira Wike-Freiberga,” Rosenwalds said.

Minister of Finance Arvils Asheradens (JV) said that the current situation is tight for the upcoming state budget for 2025. When asked whether the president, as a former member of the cabinet and a politician of the “Jaunā vietība” party alliance, cannot be asked to share the responsibility for the decisions of the previous government that affected the development of the country in various ways, Rosenwalds stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not the most active department in formulating the country’s economic policy, but Rinkēvičs must bear part of the responsibility.

“As foreign minister, he raised his hand at government meetings, supported decisions and did not run out of the meetings of the cabinet of ministers, so he was jointly responsible for the decisions made, although the minister of foreign affairs is much less responsible for the country’s economic policy than the minister of economy or finance. I think it is important to talk about what we will do next and what actions the president will take, when the issue of the state budget for next year will be resolved,” said the political scientist.

In next year’s state budget, the government has made national security a top priority, which the president believes is correct, adding that “we will see a lot of drama” during the budget process. Rosenwalz said such a decision by the cabinet is short-sighted. He does not deny that security must be the top priority, but it cannot be the only one. The political scientist noted that there is talk of doubling the gross domestic product (GDP), but it is not clear whether this can be achieved only at the expense of the military industry. He stressed that the president also did not answer this question.

When asked if Linkevich had managed to restore public trust in the institution of the presidency, compared to Levitt’s presidency, Rosenwalds replied in the affirmative. He called for no illusions, as trust in political institutions in Latvia is low, which poses challenges to democratic development.

“I think that Linkevich was partially successful, but one cannot say that a miracle happened this year. Linkevich’s approval rating is not the highest among the presidents who restored the country. Vick-Freiberg was the highest. However, the downward trend observed at the end of Levit’s presidency changed with a positive growth, but let’s see what happens next, a lot depends on him (..) whether he learns from his mistakes and talks to the public,” the political scientist said.

Today is reportedly the first anniversary of the parliamentary election of former Foreign Minister Linkevichas as president. On May 11 last year, the “Jaunā vietība” announced its decision to push Linkevichas, who has served as the long-time Foreign Minister, to run for the presidency.

In the public vote on May 31, 2023, 52 MPs supported Rinkēvičas’ candidacy in the third round of elections, while 35 MPs opposed it. Along with Rinkēvičs, businessman Uldis Pīlēns, nominated by the “Joint List”, and public administration expert Elina Pinto, nominated by the “Progress” party, are also running for the post of the country’s first person.

According to the information in the archives, Rinkēvičs was born in Jurmala in 1973. He graduated from the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the University of Latvia (LU) and obtained a certificate of study in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He also holds two master’s degrees in Political Science from Lingnan University and the Academy of Strategic Industries of National Resources at the National Defense University.

In the 1990s, Rinkēvičs worked as a journalist on foreign policy and international relations issues for Latvian Radio, and subsequently held several positions in the Ministry of Defense (MoD), including the highest official position – State Secretary of the MoD for more than a decade since 1997.

In addition, from 2002 to 2003, Linkevich served as deputy head of the Latvian delegation for negotiations on joining NATO, and from 2005 to January 2007, he served as director of the NATO Office for Organizing Meetings of States and Governments.

Linkevic served as the chief of staff of President Valdas Zatles from October 2008 to July 2011. When Zatles failed to win reelection for his second term as president and entered politics, Linkevic also got involved and became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government led by Valdas Dombrovskis (JV) in 2011. While in office, he joined the Reform Party led by former President Zatles in early 2012.

Rinkēvičs also retained the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the governments of Laimdota Straujumas, Maras Kučinskas (AS) and Karinhas. In the spring of 2014, Rinkēvičs joined the “Vienotība” party. In the 14th Saeima elections in 2022, Rinkēvičs was elected to Parliament from the list of the “New Solidarity” party association.

Rinkēvičs is a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit with three stars, Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Viestula, and has received high awards from NATO and several Latvian allies.