EU’s first gay president – level 2
13-07-2023 07:00
Edgars Rinkevics, the former foreign minister of Latvia, has become the country’s president. He made history as the first openly gay head of state in the European Union.
The president’s role is mostly ceremonial, but he has the power to say no to laws and call referendums. Rinkevics told people he was gay in 2014, and he always supported the rights of LGBT people. Gay people can’t get married in Latvia, but the highest court in the country said that it is okay for same-sex couples to legally live together.
In his first speech as president, Rinkevics promised to help Ukraine in its fight with Russia. He also talked about the big differences between people and said that he wants to make Latvia a fair and modern country.
Difficult words: ceremonial (related to formal events), referendum (when people vote on one specific issue), speech (when someone speaks in front of many people).
You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.
What are some of the issues that President Rinkevics will focus on in order to make Latvia a fair and modern country?
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