Einars Repše
| Einars Repše | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Prime Minister of Latvia | |
|
In office 7 November 2002 – 9 March 2004 |
|
| President | Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga |
| Deputy | Ainārs Šlesers |
| Preceded by | Andris Bērziņš |
| Succeeded by | Indulis Emsis |
| Minister of Finance | |
|
In office 12 March 2009 – 3 November 2010 |
|
| President | Valdis Zatlers |
| Prime Minister | Valdis Dombrovskis |
| Preceded by | Atis Slakteris |
| Succeeded by | Andris Vilks |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 9, 1961 Jelgava, Latvia |
| Political party |
LNNK (1988-1991) New Era (2002-2011) Unity (2011-2013) Latvian Development (2013-present) |
| Alma mater | University of Latvia |
Einars Repše (born 9 December 1961 in Jelgava, Latvia) is a Latvian politician, chairman of the Association for Latvian Development.
Einars Repše graduated from Latvia State University (now known as University of Latvia) in 1986 with a degree in physics (specialisation – radio electronics). He first entered politics in 1988 as one of the founders of the Latvian National Independence Movement (LNNK), a political organization promoting Latvia's independence from the Soviet Union. He was elected to the parliament of Latvia in 1990.
From 1991 to 2001, Repše was the president of the Bank of Latvia (Latvia's central bank). During this period, he oversaw the introduction of the Latvian rublis, Latvia's temporary transition currency, and the Lats, independent Latvia's new currency. Under Repše, the Bank of Latvia pursued a tight monetary policy, implementing a de facto currency board for the Lats. As a result, the exchange rate of the lat has been stable since the early 1990s till now. The success of the Lats made Repše very popular in Latvia.
In 2001, Repše resigned from the Bank of Latvia to return to politics. He founded the New Era Party, a Populist anti-corruption party. After the 2002 elections, Repše became the Prime Minister of Latvia in November 2002. He led a coalition of his own New Era Party, the Latvia's First Party, the Union of Greens and Farmers and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK. Repše's government became known for an outspoken fight against corruption and tax evasion. Several high-ranked government officials, including the head of Latvia's state revenue service, were fired or resigned. The anti-corruption measures resulted in some success, as the revenues from the gasoline tax, previously notorious for tax evasion, increased by 30% in one year. The revenues from other taxes, however, were not significantly different, compared to the previous governments, and some of the anti-corruption measures backfired (for example, some of the fired officials successfully sued the Latvian government for wrongful dismissal). Repše's government also implemented a tight control on budget expenses, reducing the budget deficit from 3% of GDP in 2002 to 1.8% in 2003.
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