On Monday, 8 July, Egils Levits gave his solemn vow and officially became president of the Republic of Latvia.

In his speech, Levits outlined his desire to reduce inequality and make Latvia a modern country. He also complimented the work done by his predecessors.

«We inherited our country from previous generations. A country to call our own – it is a treasure. Our goal is leaving next generations a country in a better state than it was when we received it,» said Levits.

«There is no ideal country, because that implies halted progress,» said Levits, concluding his speech and urging people to work for the country’s benefit.

BNN had previously reported that in the first open state president’s election in Latvia, 61 Saeima deputies voted in favour of Egils Levits. 31 deputies voted against him.

Levits graduated from University of Hamburg Faculty of Law in 1982. Three years later – 1985 – he graduated from University of Hamburg Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy.

Levits was also Latvia’s ambassador in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary in the past. He was also a deputy in the 5th Saeima, as well as Latvia’s Justice Minister. He was later elected to be Latvia’s representative in the European Court for Human Rights. Since then, he has become a judge in the EU Court of Justice.

Egils Levits is the co-author of the 4 May 1991 Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia. He also participated in the development of the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia.