Krišjānis Kariņš

Biography

Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš was born on December 13, 1964, in Wilmington, Delaware, to Latvian parents who had fled during the Soviet occupation. He grew up in the American Latvian community and went to the University of Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor's degree summa cum laude and a PhD in linguistics. He also attended St. John's College. In 1997, he decided to move to Latvia, the country his parents had to leave years earlier.

Once in Latvia, Kariņš started a frozen food business, showing he could adapt to the post-Soviet economy. His success in business led him to politics, and in 2002 he helped start the New Era Party. This party eventually merged with others in 2011 to become the Unity Party, later renamed New Unity in 2018. Over the years, he held various political positions, including deputy in Latvia's parliament (the Saeima), Minister of Economics, and Member of the European Parliament.

After the 2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Kariņš became an unexpected choice for prime minister even though his New Unity party was the smallest elected to the 13th Saeima. Large parties struggled to form a government, so President Raimonds Vējonis nominated Kariņš in January 2019 as a compromise. He managed to form a five-party coalition and took office on January 23, 2019. He faced early challenges, including surviving a vote of no confidence on April 11, 2019, with a 58-33 vote.

During his time as prime minister, Kariņš dealt with several crises affecting Latvia's stability and international relations. He managed the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, balancing public health efforts and economic stability. He also addressed the 2021 Belarus-European Union border crisis and Latvia's initial response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, his government eventually faced internal coalition conflicts. On August 14, 2023, Kariņš announced his resignation as prime minister due to these disputes, leaving office on September 15, 2023, when his successor was elected.