Vilnis Edvīns Bresis

Who is Vilnis Edvīns Bresis?

Vilnis Edvīns Bresis is a Latvian politician who was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Latvian SSR from October 6, 1988, to May 7, 1990.

During the Soviet period, Bresis worked in various management positions in agriculture and the Communist Party of Latvian SSR, becoming the Prime Minister at the end of Soviet period. Bresis supported the idea of Latvia as an independent country, voting in favour of the Declaration of Independence on May 4, 1990. Under his leadership, Latvia started to break up collective farms and created the first 8,000 privately owned farms.

After Latvia declaring independence, Bresis was replaced as the Prime Minister by Ivars Godmanis, one of the leaders of the pro-independence Popular Front of Latvia. He remained a member of the parliament from 1990 to 1995 and worked in banking after that.

From 2002 until 2010, Bresis was member of the parliament, elected from the Union of Greens and Farmers.