Latvian parliament elects foreign minister as new president

Latvian Foreign Minister and president-elect Edgars Rinkevics (Michael Sohn/AP/PA)

Latvian MPs on Wednesday picked the country’s long-serving and popular foreign minister, a strong backer of Ukraine, as its new head of state in a tight vote.

The 100-seat Saeima legislature elected Edgars Rinkevics, the country’s top diplomat since 2011, as president to serve for a four-year term.