History / November 19, 1918 – National Council approves first Government of the Republic of Latvia

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November 19, 1918 – National Council approves first Government of the Republic of Latvia

29.09.2008

Already the next day after the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, November 19, 1918, the National Council approved an Interim Government, set up by the first Prime Minister of Latvia Karlis Ulmanis, which continued to work for one year, and is considered to be the first Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia.

On November 18, 1918, the Proclamation of Independence Day of the Republic of Latvia, Karlis Ulmanis, the first Prime Minister of the independent Republic of Latvia, addressed members of the National Council at the National Theater. The composition of the first Cabinet of Ministers was unknown yet, but immediately after the National Council meeting on November 18, Ulmanis started formation of the Interim Government without delay. At the next National Council session on November 19, 1918 Ulmanis presented a report presenting members of the Interim Government to the National Council.

According to the minutes of the National Council meeting, the make-up of the new Government was debated extensively, but the Interim Government was eventually approved. The Government had an incomplete make-up because Ulmanis had not yet found candidates for several ministries, which is why some Government ministers had two portfolios. Zigfrids Anna Meierovics was appointed the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mikelis Valters was appointed the Minister of Interior, Peteris Jurasevskis was appointed the Minister of Finance, and Karlis Kasparsons - the Minister of Education.

It was also decided that the transport, justice, commerce and industry ministers' posts would remain vacant. Ulmanis later wrote in his memoirs that only on December 2, 1918, when the Interim Government declaration was presented at the National Council, the rest of the ministers were introduced, although it was only on December 20, 1918 that the work on the Government formation was complete.

Picture one:

The Interim Government of Latvia aboard the ship "Saratovs" at Liepaja Port in 1919 - a reproduction from the book "Latvijas Republika desmit pastāvēšanas gados" (The Republic of Latvia During Ten Years of Independence), Riga, 1928, page 25.

Source:

Excerpt from the National Council meeting minutes on the composition and the tasks of the Interim Government - LVVA, 1307.f., 1.apr., 327.l., 60.-64.lp.

„Latvijas Republika desmit pastāvēšanas gados", Rīga, 1928.g., 25.lpp.

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