Valdis Zatlers

Valdis Zatlers (born March 22, 1955 in Riga , then Latvian SSR , Soviet Union ) was President of Latvia from July 8, 2007 to July 8, 2011 . He is a doctor by profession. In April 2007, Zatlers was awarded the Latvian three-star order of the fourth degree. His family name is a Latvian borrowing of the German name Sattler and is pronounced accordingly.

Professional background

Zatlers is an orthopedic surgeon , he graduated from the Riga Medical Institute in 1979. After completing his studies, he took up a job at the 2nd Riga Hospital and in 1985 became head of the accident surgery department there . From 1994 until he took office as President, Zatler was director of the Riga Orthopedic and Trauma Hospital.

In 1990 and 1991, Zatlers spent five and two months at the US universities of Yale and Syracuse. He took part in the medical care of the victims of the Chernobyl reactor disaster on site . In addition to Latvian , Zatlers speaks fluent Russian and also speaks English .

Political career

Valdis Zatlers was a board member of the Latvian Popular Front in 1988 and 1989 .

Flag of the President of the Republic of Latvia

It was not until a short time before the election, on May 22, 2007, that the ruling center-right coalition officially nominated him as a presidential candidate. Zatlers was non-party at the time, but was a co-signatory of the founding program of the Latvian People's Party in 1998 .

On May 31, 2007, Zatlers won 58 out of 98 votes in the Latvian Parliament's vote against the anti-corruption candidate Aivars Endziņš , who was accused of his uncritical attitude towards the former Soviet regime . Endziņš was openly supported by a Latvian NGO , whereas Zatlers is accused of illegally accepting money for medical treatment. Such payments are quite common in Latvia, but in the first interviews after his election, Zatlers refused to accept “envelopes”.

Former President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was critical of both candidates in advance, but only one member of the Saeima, Karina Pētersone , who was herself a temporary candidate, voted against both candidates. On July 8, 2007, Zatlers Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga replaced in office.

On May 28, 2011, Zatlers applied to the constitutional court to dissolve parliament. Parliament had previously refused to lift the immunity of MP Ainārs Šlesers , who is to be investigated for corruption. The Latvian anti-corruption authority had launched an investigation into one of the richest men in the country, Šlesers, for shady machinations. In a televised address, Zatlers called for a more consistent fight against corruption. The Latvian people accepted his motion on July 23, 2011 in a referendum on the dissolution of parliament with a large majority.

In the regular election of the new President in Parliament on June 2, 2011, Zatlers received 41 out of 100 votes in the second ballot; his opponent Andris Bērziņš united 53 votes. Zatlers was supported by the ruling Vienotība Alliance and the national-conservative opposition parties Tēvzemei un Brīvībai / LNNK and Visu Latvijai , while the ruling ZZS , the oligarchic bloc Par Labu Latviju! (the LPP / LC and Tautas partija united) and the pro-Russian Saskaņas Centrs voted for Bērziņš by a majority.

On July 23, 2011, the day of the referendum he initiated, Zatlers founded a new party called Zatlera Reformu partiju (ZRP).

Private life

Valdis Zatlers is married with three children and lists cooking, sculpture and music as hobbies. In summer 2012 he had to undergo an operation for cancer and was therefore less politically active.