Aivars Endziņš (born 8 December 1940, in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the B ...
) is a Latvian lawyer and politician.
He graduated from 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 ...
in 1968 and in 1977 attained a
candidate of legal sciences degree. In 1997 he became a Doctor of Jurisprudence. He has worked as a lecturer at the University of Latvia and at the
Turība School of Business Administration. He was a member of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1963 to 1990, when he became a member of the
Popular Front of Latvia
The Popular Front of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Tautas fronte) was a political organisation in Latvia in the late 1980s and early 1990s which led Latvia to its independence from the Soviet Union. It was similar to the Popular Front of Estonia and the ...
and a member of the
Supreme Council of the Republic 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
Independence is a condition of a person, ...
. He was for a short time a member of
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party
)
, colours = Maroon Green
, headquarters = Riga, Lāčplēša iela 60, LV-1011
, seats1_title = Saeima
, seats1 =
, seats2_title = European Parliament
, seats2 =
, website lsdsp.lv, membership_year = 2017
, membership = 633
The Latv ...
, and in 1993 became a member of
Latvian Way. He was a member of the 5th and 6th
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 ...
s, but resigned in 1996 to become a judge on the
Constitutional Court of Latvia
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republikas Satversmes tiesa) is an independent court, which was established in 1996 on basis of amendments in law "On Judicial Power" and in the Constitution of Latvia made in 1994. ...
. He became the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court in 2000 and left this office in 2007. He was a presidential candidate in the
2007 Latvian presidential election
A presidential election was held in the Latvian Saeima on 31 May 2007. The government candidate Valdis Zatlers defeated Aivars Endziņš.
Nominations
Before the governing coalition had agreed on Zatlers as a candidate, the People's Party had ...
, nominated by
Harmony Centre
;russian: Достойная жизнь для каждого)
, website saskanascentrs.lv
Harmony Centre ( lv, Saskaņas Centrs, SC; russian: Центр Cогласия, ЦC) was a social democracy, social-democratic political alliance in L ...
and supported by the
New Era Party
The New Era Party ( lv, Jaunais laiks, JL) was a centre-right political party in Latvia. Founded in 2002, the party merged with Civic Union and Society for Other Politics to form Unity in 2011.
New Era was a member of the European People's P ...
and the political alliance
For Human Rights in a United Latvia
The Latvian Russian Union (LRU, lv, Latvijas Krievu savienība, russian: Русский союз Латвии, Russkiy soyuz Latvii) (LKS) is a political party in Latvia supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other Russian-speaking minorities. ...
. After a passionate debate over his membership of the Communist Party, which included a revelation that in the 1970s he had denied the
occupation of Latvia
Latvia has been occupied by military forces from other nations from time to time. Military occupations of Latvia have included:
* Livonian Crusade (13th century)
* Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940
* Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany (1941– ...
, he lost the election to
Valdis Zatlers
Valdis Zatlers (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 2 ...
.
References
1940 births
Living people
Lawyers from Riga
Communist Party of Latvia politicians
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party politicians
Latvian Way politicians
Deputies of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia
Deputies of the 5th Saeima
Deputies of the 6th Saeima
Candidates for President of Latvia
Judges of the Constitutional Court of Latvia
Latvian legal scholars
University of Latvia alumni
Politicians from Riga
20th-century Latvian judges
21st-century Latvian judges
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