Alfrēds Rubiks (, ''Alfred Petrovich Rubiks''; born 24 September 1935), is a
Latvian communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
politician and a former leader of the
Communist Party of Latvia. He was a
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
for
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
from 2009 until 2014. In the European Parliament he was a member of the
European United Left–Nordic Green Left group.
Due to his former allegiance with the Communist Party of Latvia after January 1991, Rubiks is prohibited from running for an electable office in Latvia under
Latvian law.
His two sons
Artūrs Rubiks and
Raimonds Rubiks are also politicians and members of the
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 p ...
for
Harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
.
Biography
Rubiks served as the Chairman of the
Riga City Executive Committee from 1984 to 1990, effectively the last
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of the city. He was a member of the
Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, abbreviated as Politburo, was the de facto highest executive authority in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). While elected by and formally a ...
from July 1990 until the party was banned on November 6, 1991. As head of the
Communist Party of Latvia in 1991 he opposed Latvia's independence from the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and issued a list of Latvian pro-independence politicians to be arrested but on 23 August 1991 was imprisoned himself for his role in attempting to overthrow the then new democratic government and supporting the August 1991
coup d'état attempt in Moscow. Despite his incarceration, Rubiks was nominated as a candidate in the
1996 Latvian presidential election by the Socialist Party, but lost to incumbent
Guntis Ulmanis. Rubiks was released in November 1997 for good behaviour, and became chairman of the
Socialist Party of Latvia, the de facto successor to the Communist Party, in 1999. In a 2000 poll, Rubiks was ranked the least popular politician in Latvia with a score of -22.4 points.
He was elected a
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
in the
2009 European Parliament elections as one of the two reprentatives of the political alliance
Harmony Centre. In 2012, Rubiks distributed his biography "From Political Prisoner to European Parliament Member" to all EP members, drawing criticism from other MEPs from Latvia for the claims made in the book. In 2015, after the Socialist Party of Latvia lost in the
2014 European Parliament election
The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 22 and 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties field ...
, he resigned as its chairman. In 2019, along with
Nils Ušakovs he was removed from the board of Harmony Centre.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubiks, Alfreds
1935 births
Living people
Politicians from Daugavpils
Members of the Politburo of the 28th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Heads of the Communist Party of Latvia
Socialist Party of Latvia politicians
People's commissars and ministers of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1980–1985
Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1985–1990
Deputies of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia
Deputies of the 5th Saeima
Harmony Centre MEPs
MEPs for Latvia 2009–2014
Mayors of Riga
Candidates for President of Latvia
Riga Technical University alumni
People of the Singing Revolution
Latvian prisoners and detainees
Prisoners and detainees of Latvia
Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour