Vaira Vi姆e-Freiberga: The first female president of Latvia
Vaira Vi姆e-Freiberga became president of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.
Vaira Vi姆e-Freiberga became the first female president of Latvia in 1999, just eight months after returning to the country she left 54 years earlier. A dramatic childhood saw her leave Riga with her family in 1944, aged seven, after the Soviet invasion. After a spell in German refugee camps and some schooling in French Morocco, she and her family moved to Canada when she was 15. Vaira studied psychology and pursued a professional career at the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal. She won many awards for her distinguished work in humanities and social sciences before returning to her homeland 鈥� and becoming president a mere eight months later.
(Photo: Former President of the Republic of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga speaks at the 2015 Concordia Summit at Grand Hyatt New York. Credit: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images)
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