Aleksejs Vidavskis (19 September 1943 – 1 July 2020) was a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as a member of the

Supreme Council of Latvia The Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republikas Augstākā Padome) was the transitional parliament of Latvia from 1990 to 1993, after the restoration of independence. The Supreme Council was elected on 1990 as the Su ...

, as a mayor of

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

, and as a deputy in the 8th and 9th

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the po ...

(Latvian Parliament).

Biography

Early life

Vidavskis was born in

, Latvia on September 19, 1943 when the city was under

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

control as a part of the

Reichskommissariat Ostland The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RKO) was established by Nazi Germany in 1941 during World War II. It became the civilian occupation regime in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the western part of Byelorussian SSR. German planning documents initia ...

. He graduated from the Riga Polytechnic Institute in 1979 while working various positions at the Daugavpils Chemical Fiber Factory from 1966 to 1987.

Political activity

He served as a member of the

from its establishment in 1990 until he and 14 other members who had voted against the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

were removed for "acting contrary to the Constitution." Vidavskis was elected mayor of Daugavpils from the

Harmony Centre ;russian: Достойная жизнь для каждого) , website saskanascentrs.lv Harmony Centre ( lv, Saskaņas Centrs, SC; russian: Центр Cогласия, ЦC) was a social-democratic political alliance in Latvia. It origi ...

party despite not being a member of the party at the time. He served as mayor from 1994-2001. He also served two terms as a

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

of the

. He began his term in the 8th Saeima on November 5, 2002 and began his term in the 9th Saeima on 7 November 2006. He supported Latvia joining the European Union in interviews.

Retirement and death

Vidavskis retired from politics after his second term in the Saeima ended on November 2, 2010. He is reported to have moved to Višķi for a quiet retirement. He died on July 1, 2020 at the age of 76, and his

memorial service A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

was held at Ss. Boris and Gleb Cathedral in Daugavpils on July 3.

References

External links

Saeima websiteHistorical membership of the Saeima
(in Latvian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vidavkis, Aleksejs 1943 births 2020 deaths Politicians from Daugavpils Latvian people of Russian descent Deputies of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia Deputies of the 8th Saeima Deputies of the 9th Saeima