Latvia's unicameral parliament (Sejm) will vote on a new president today. The current head of state, Egils Levits, is not running for a second term and will serve until July 8, DPA and TASS reported.

There are three candidates for the highest public office in the republic.

Elina Pinto, 42, a public administration expert and activist of the Latvian diaspora in Europe, 66-year-old architect, businessman and politician Uldis Pilens, and 49-year-old Edgars Rinkevics, foreign minister in the current cabinet, are competing for the post.

According to analysts, none of the candidates enjoys sufficient support in parliament.

The President is elected by an absolute majority of the votes of the deputies of the Sejm (51 votes out of 100) for a term of four years. If no winner is determined in the first round of voting, a second ballot with the participation of the first two candidates may be announced on the same day.

If the president is not elected after that, the nomination process will begin anew, and elections will be postponed until next month.

Greece is on an election campaign.

The President of Latvia has limited powers. He is the representative of the state in the international arena and the supreme commander of the armed forces, has the right to pardon, proposes a candidate for the post of prime minister, can convene and hold extraordinary meetings of the government.

The head of state has the right to exercise legislative initiative and to return for revision the laws adopted by the Sejm.

Presidential elections

Latvia