On Tuesday, 18 October, Solvita Āboltiņa was elected as the Speaker of the 11th Saeima; thus she has become the second Speaker of the Saeima in the history of Latvia who has been re-elected as the Speaker after the election of a new parliament.
By a secret ballot, 51 MPs voted for and 45 MPs voted against the candidacy of Solvita Āboltiņa for the position of the Speaker of the 11th Saeima.
“The Speaker of the Saeima does not represent only his/her political party; the Speaker represents the entire Saeima and the interests of all elected political parties. Despite the good and strong determination of one individual, nothing can be achieved without support,” said Āboltiņa to members of the Saeima after her election. “Latvia needs our joint efforts. I would like to thank you for expressing your confidence in me; that is a great responsibility, and I will do my best not to betray it.”
“This is a special moment in the history of Latvia because for the first time the Saeima has been elected in an extraordinary election,” indicates Āboltiņa. She recalls the words of Jānis Čakste: “It is our duty to work together. We must not forget our common goal and road, namely, strengthening the State of Latvia”.
Before being elected as the Speaker of the 11th Saeima, Solvita Āboltiņa was the Speaker of the 10th Saeima, a member of the Legal Affairs Committee and the European Affairs Committee, as well as the Chairperson of the Judicial Policy Subcommittee and a member of the Demographic Policy Subcommittee.
During the 9th convocation of the Saeima, Solvita Āboltiņa was the Deputy Speaker and a member of the Legal Affairs Committee, the European Affairs Committee, as well as the Parliamentary Committee for Investigating Possible Illegal and Unethical Conduct of the Judiciary. During the 9th convocation of the Saeima, she was also the Chairperson of the Subcommittee of the Legal Affairs Committee for Working on the Judicial Structure Law and the Subcommittee for Drafting Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia. Furthermore, Solvita Āboltiņa was a member of the Subcommittee of the Legal Affairs Committee for Dealing with the Proposal Initiated by the President of Latvia Regarding the Institution of the President and the Subcommittee for Working on the Criminal Procedure Law. In addition to her duties on the committees, she headed a group responsible for cooperation between the Saeima and NGOs, and as patroness of the international student internship programme, she welcomed students from Germany to the Saeima.
Solvita Āboltiņa was also a member of the 8th Saeima. She was the Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee and a member of the European Affairs Committee, the Children's Rights Subcommittee and the Subcommittee for Drafting Laws Regulating NGOs. In 2004, she was a legal advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in December 2004 she assumed the position of the Minister for Justice in the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Aigars Kalvītis.
Before being elected to the 8th Saeima, Āboltiņa was the Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Solvita Āboltiņa has a degree in law obtained from the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia.
Photos from the election of the Speaker of the 11th Saeima:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157627796328183/
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery.
Saeima Press Service