Pursuant to the first sentence of Article 51 of the Law on State Decorations, the President of the Republic of Latvia, upon taking office, shall be entitled to the highest class of the Order of the Three Stars, the Order of Viesturs and the Cross of Recognition and the chain of the Order of the Three Stars. In 2004, the newly elected President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has been awarded and presented with the highest class of the Order of Viesturs for his special services to the Latvian State, therefore, upon assuming the office of President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs will become entitled to the highest class of the Order of the Three Stars and the Cross of Recognition and the chain of the Order of the Three Stars.
In accordance with the procedure laid down in the second sentence of Article 51 of the Law on State Decorations, the presentation of the Order of the Three Stars, the Chain of the Order of the Three Stars and the Cross of Recognition to the newly elected President of Latvia, Edgar Rinkēvičs, will take place on 8 July 2023 at the Saeima.
Sarmīte Ēlerte, Chancellor of the Chapter of Orders, says: ‘The highest state awards, their conferral and presentation are a historical and inalienable function of the President of Latvia as the Head of State. It is one of the manifestations of state representation granted to the President by the Constitution and is laid down in the Law on State Decorations. In order to be able to exercise the awarding function, the President of Latvia, on assuming office, himself acquires the right to the highest class of each Order and to the chain of the Order of the Three Stars. This means that the President, on taking office, is appointed to each of the three Orders, becoming the ‘Head of the Order’.’
A Chapter of Orders exists to manage the state awards. The Chancellor and the members of the Chapter of Orders are appointed by the President for the duration of his term of office.