(MENAFN- QNA) Lawmakers elected Defence Minister Raimonds Vejonis Latvia's new president at an extraordinary parliament session on Wednesday, the local media reported.
It took five rounds of secret voting to ensure Vejonis' victory in Latvia's 2015 presidential election. Vejonis was elected president in a vote of 55 to 42. Rival candidates Martins Bondars of the opposition Latvian Association of Regions (LRA), Sergejs Dolgopolovs of the opposition leftist Harmony party, and Egils Levits, a judge at the European Court of Justice, were eliminated in the first four rounds of voting earlier on Wednesday.
After Vejonis' victory was announced, he pledged to continue his work for the benefit of the Latvian state and people. He promised to strengthen Latvia's national security, to promote regional and national development, as well as the prosperity of the people.
Vejonis, 48, has served in several previous Latvian governments as environmental protection and regional development minister.
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