Marija Golubeva (born 28 June 1973) is a Latvian politician, political scientist, and historian. She is a member of the 13th

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the 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 popular v ...

and leader of the

Development/For! Development/For! ( Latvian: ''Attīstībai/Par!,'' AP!) is a liberal political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2018 and it is made up of Movement For!, For Latvia's Development and Izaugsme. The coalition itself has embraced a centrist pos ...

Saeima fraction, and she also was elected by the Presidium of the Saeima to serve in the Saeima Secretariat. She served as Minister of the Interior of Latvia. In her academic work, she specializes in the politics of education and immigration.

Life and career

Golubeva studied English philology at the

University of Latvia University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...

, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in 1994. In 1995, she obtained a Master's Degree in history from the

Central European University Central European University (CEU) is a private research university accredited in Austria, Hungary, and the United States, with campuses in Vienna and Budapest. The university is known for its highly intensive programs in the social science ...

. She then attended the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where she earned her doctorate in 2000. In 1999, Golubeva became a Lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Culture, where she taught courses in cultural history. In the 2001–2002 school year, she was the acting head of the Department of Political Science at

Riga Stradiņš University Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) ( lv, Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte, la, Universitas Rigensis Stradina) is a public university located in the city of Riga, Latvia. The Stradiņš (pronounced �stradiɲʃ name in the university's title is owed ...

, and the following year she served as the head of a research center at The

Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences ( lv, Vidzemes Augstskola) is the higher education establishment in Valmiera, Latvia. It was founded in 1996 and now it has around 800 students. History Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences was founded in ...

. She then worked as a consultant at the State Chancellery, and from 2004 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2016 she worked as a researcher at the Latvian public policy research center Providus. She has also consulted for

ICF International ICF International, Inc. is a Reston, Virginia-based global consulting and technology services company, which provides a range of services for governments and businesses, including strategic planning, management, marketing and analytics. The compa ...

. She particularly specializes in the study of education policy and immigration policy. In 2017, Golubeva was a founding member of the

Movement For! Movement For! ( lv, Kustība Par!) is a liberal political party in Latvia.

party, and she was elected to its first board. In the

2018 Latvian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite being ...

, Golubeva was elected to the Saeima. She was then also elected Secretary of the Saeima. Golubeva is the second openly

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

member of the Saeima in Latvian history, after

Edgars Rinkēvičs Edgars Rinkēvičs (born 21 September 1973 in Jūrmala) is a Latvian public official and politician, currently serving as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, a role he has held since 2011. Before begin ...

. She was also one of the record high number of women elected to the Saeima in that election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golubeva, Marija Living people Latvian political scientists 21st-century Latvian women writers Women political scientists Deputies of the 13th Saeima 21st-century Latvian women politicians Women deputies of the Saeima Latvian LGBT politicians Lesbian politicians 1973 births