Valdis Zatlers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Valdis Zatlers
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Zatlers in 2011
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| 7th President of Latvia | |
| In office 8 July 2007 – 8 July 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Aigars Kalvītis Ivars Godmanis Valdis Dombrovskis |
| Preceded by | Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga |
| Succeeded by | Andris Bērziņš |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 March 1955 Riga, Latvia (Under Soviet occupation) |
| Political party | Independent (Before 2011) Reform Party (2011–2015) |
| Spouse | Lilita Zatlere |
| Children | Gustavs Felicita Kārlis |
| Alma mater | Riga Stradiņš University |
| Signature |  |
Valdis Zatlers (/ˈvældɪs ˈzætlərz/; born 22 March 1955) is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007. He became President of Latvia on 8 July 2007 and left office on 7 July 2011 after failing to win reelection for a second term.
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Medical career
Valdis Zatlers is an orthopedic surgeon, who graduated from the Institute of Medicine in Riga in 1979. After his studies he worked in Riga Hospital No. 2 and became chief of its traumatology unit in 1985. In 1986, between May and June, he was dispatched to Ukraine as a medical service officer to support the cleanup operations following the Chernobyl disaster.
He was the director of the Latvian Traumatology and Orthopaedics Hospital from 1994 and chief of its board from 1998. He left these offices on 5 July 2007. On 27 April 2007, he received the Order of the Three Stars (Trīs Zvaigžņu Ordenis) of the 4th rank for his contributions in care for health of the patients and promotion of orthopedics in Latvia.
Political career
Valdis Zatlers was a board member of the Popular Front of Latvia in 1988–1989. On 22 May 2007, the ruling parliamentary coalition of the Latvian Saeima officially nominated Zatlers as its presidential candidate. Zatlers himself was not a member of any political party, but had signed the manifesto of the People's Party when the party was founded in 1998. On 2 June 2011 an MP from the Greens and Farmers' Union, Andris Bērziņš, defeated the incumbent, Valdis Zatlers, in presidential elections despite Zatlers having previously been expected to win the vote. He founded the Reform Party in July 2011.
Presidency
In his TV speech, on 28 May 2011, President Zatlers called for radical reforms to curb the corrupting influence of oligarchs. He accused lawmakers of being soft on corruption and announced that he would use his constitutional powers to initiate a referendum on the dissolution of the current Saeima. The formal cause of this decision was the parliament's refusal to sanction a search at the home of Ainārs Šlesers, a Saeima member and former minister. Zatlers was the first President of Latvia to use these reserve presidential powers. Under the relevant sections of the Constitution of Latvia if the voters had supported Zatlers' decision, the Saeima would have been dismissed and new parliament elections organized.
Relations with Russia
He attended the 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade on Red Square on 9 May, making good on his acceptance of his invitation to attend the 65th VE Day celebrations in Russia that he received in February. In December 2010, Zatlers made his first official state visit to Moscow. The four-day official visit included talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, as well as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and the Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. While speaking at the Latvia-Russia Business Forum in St. Petersburg on 20 December, he spoke in favor of the introduction of a visa free regime between the EU and Russia. On the final day of the forum, he laid flowers at the Piskaryov Memorial Cemetery.
Personal life
Valdis Zatlers is married to Lilita Zatlere and has three children. In addition to his native Latvian, he is fluent in English and Russian.
Honours and awards
National
Commander Grand Cross (1st Class) with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (2008)
Grand Cross (1st Class) of the Order of Viesturs (2008)
Foreign
Azerbaijan: Recipient of the Heydar Aliyev Order (10 August 2009)
Croatia: Recipient of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (2 September 2008)
Estonia: Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2 April 2009)
Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose (2010)
Georgia: Recipient of the St. George's Order of Victory (9 December 2009)
Kazakhstan: Recipient of the Order of Friendship (2008)
Lithuania: Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (7 February 2011)
Romania: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (2011)
Spain: Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (30 April 2009)
Ukraine:
- Member of the Order of Liberty (26 April 2011)
- First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (25 June 2008)
Honorary doctorates
Yerevan State University: Honorary doctorate (2009)
Poland John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin:
Latvia Riga Stradiņš University: Honorary doctorate (2010)
See also
In Spanish: Valdis Zatlers para niños
