On Thursday, the 6th of March, Saeima approved several new ministers, introducing changes to the government’s composition. Atis Švinka, a former deputy from The Progressives, was appointed Minister of Transport, while Dace Melbārde from New Unity became Minister of Education and Science, and Reinis Uzulnieks from the Union of Greens and Farmers took on the role of Minister of Welfare.
Švinka received 52 votes in favour, while 41 deputies voted against him.
Born in 1973, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in social sciences in management from the University of Latvia in 2002. At the age of 20, he was appointed Executive Director of Junior Achievement Latvia and introduced the economics curriculum in schools in the late 1990s, as well as leading projects such as Shadowing Day. He has managed multiple businesses and remains a shareholder in several companies, including SIA Ammolite, SIA LIC, SIA Mush, and SIA LIC GOTUS.
In the 2022 parliamentary elections, Švinka ran as the lead candidate for The Progressives in the Zemgale electoral district and was elected to the 14th Saeima. He serves as a board member of The Progressives and has worked in the Saeima’s Defence, Internal Affairs, and Corruption Prevention Committee, as well as the National Security Committee, which grants him top-level security clearance to handle state secrets, an essential requirement for his ministerial role.
He was also a Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Defence and participated in the Innovation Ecosystem Development Subcommittee, was chairman of the Media Policy Subcommittee, and a member of the Sports Subcommittee.
Uzulnieks received 72 votes in favour and 16 against.
Born in 1986, he holds a professional bachelor’s degree in public law and a lawyer’s qualification from the Latvian Police Academy. Additionally, he earned a master’s degree in business administration and a qualification in corporate and institutional management from the Turība School of Business.
According to the Central Election Commission, Uzulnieks is also a board member of the association “Sporto Latvija” and serves as the Riga branch coordinator for the Latvian Farmers’ Union.
Melbārde received 54 votes in favour and 35 against.
Born in 1971, she obtained a master’s degree in public management from the University of Latvia’s Faculty of Economics and Management, as well as a degree in cultural theory and management from the Latvian Academy of Culture. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Latvia and is currently working on her doctoral dissertation at the Latvian Academy of Culture.
From 2013 to 2019, Melbārde served as Minister of Culture in the Latvian government. She was later elected to the European Parliament, where she worked until the spring of 2024, when she was not re-elected. Prior to that, she held various leadership positions, including Director of the Latvian National Centre for Culture (2011–2013), Head of the British Council’s Latvia Office (2009–2011), Deputy State Secretary for Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture (2004–2009), and Secretary-General of the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO (1999–2004).
Earlier in her career, Melbārde worked at the Latvian War Museum, the Latvian Police Academy, and the State Youth Initiative Centre of the Ministry of Education and Science.
In 2013, she was awarded the Order of the Three Stars (III class) and a Cabinet of Ministers Certificate of Recognition, along with several other honours
As previously reported, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) launched a government reset by dismissing three ministers: Kaspars Briškens (The Progressives) as Minister of Transport, Anda Čakša (New Unity) as Minister of Education and Science, and Uldis Augulis (Union of Greens and Farmers) as Minister of Welfare. Their tenures officially ended on the 26th of February.
Following these changes, the Union of Greens and Farmers nominated Reinis Uzulnieks, New Unity put forward Dace Melbārde, and The Progressives selected Atis Švinka for the Minister of Transport position.