Guntars Krasts Explained

Guntars Krasts
Office:14th Prime Minister of Latvia
President:Guntis Ulmanis
Term Start:7 August 1997
Term End:26 November 1998
Predecessor:Andris Šķēle
Office2:Minister of the Economy
Primeminister2:Andris Šķēle
Term Start2:21 December 1995
Term End2:7 August 1997
Predecessor2:Jānis Zvanītājs
Successor2:Atis Sausnītis
Parliament4:Latvian
Constituency Mp5:Latvia
Parliament5:European
Term Start5:2004
Term End5:2009
Birth Date:16 October 1957
Birth Place:Riga, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Party:For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (until 2008)
Libertas Latvia (2008–2010)
Latvian Association of Regions (since 2018)
Alma Mater:University of Latvia

Guntars Krasts (born 16 October 1957) is a Latvian politician, former Prime Minister, and former Member of the European Parliament for the single Latvia constituency. Born in Riga, he was the Minister of Economy of Latvia from December 1995 to August 1997, Prime Minister of Latvia from August 1997 to November 1998, and the Deputy Prime Minister from November 1998 to June 1999. Krasts was a member of Saeima, the Latvian parliament, from June 1999 until being elected to the European Parliament in 2004.[1]

Guntars Krasts in the European institutions

Guntars Krasts was elected in the 2004 Euroelections as MEP for the single Latvia constituency as a member of For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK. He sits with the Union for a Europe of Nations group (UEN). He left For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK in February 2008 but joined no other party.[2] [3] [4] As of 31 March 2009, his European Parliament profile shows no national party membership.

On 28 March 2008, Libertas Latvia gave a press conference in which Krasts was named as the head of the Libertas Latvia list. The list would total eight candidates to contend the nine seats assigned to the single Latvia constituency.[5] In the EP elections of 2009, the Libertas.lv list fell short of entering parliament, receiving 4,3% of the vote.

Later activities

After the elections, Krasts distanced himself from politics, working in a United Nations and European Union project in Moldova as a government advisor for state reform and EU integration for the Government of Moldova.[6] In 2018, it was announced that he had joined the Latvian Association of Regions.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MEP profile: Guntars Krasts . 10 June 2008 . European Parliament .
  2. http://www.diena.lv/lat/politics/hot/sarakstu-lideri-ir-izraudziti "EP velešanam sarakstu lideri izraudziti"
  3. http://www.diena.lv/lat/politics/politika/krasts_neizsleedz_iespeeju_pamest_politiku "Krasts neizslēdz iespēju pamest politiku"
  4. http://www.balticbusinessnews.com/Default2.aspx?ArticleID=fdd22206-0c6a-46fd-8651-2f0f06de4347 "Vaidere leaves For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK"
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20090331171550/http://www.libertas.eu/en/news/news-latvia/180-former-latvian-prime-minister-to-lead-libertas-latvia-campaign "Former Latvian Prime Minister to lead Libertas Latvia Campaign"
  6. Web site: Krasts tuvākajā laikā neiesaistīsies Latvijas politikā . lv . Diena . 2 June 2010 . 20 March 2018.
  7. Web site: Ekspremjers Guntars Krasts pievienojies Latvijas Reģionu apvienībai . lv . TVNET . 29 January 2018 . 20 March 2018.