Alfrēds Rubiks

Who is Alfrēds Rubiks?

Alfrēds Rubiks is a Latvian Socialist politician and a former leader of the Communist Party of Latvia. He was a Member of the European Parliament for Latvia from 2009 until 2014. In the European Parliament he was a member of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left group.

He served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Riga City Soviet from 1984 to 1990, effectively the last Communist mayor of the city. He was member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from July 1990 until its abolishment in 24 August 1991. As head of the Communist Party of Latvia in 1991 he opposed Latvia's independence from the Soviet Union, and was imprisoned in July 1995 for his role in attempting to overthrow the then new democratic government and supporting the August 1991 coup d'état attempt in Moscow. Despite his incarceration, Rubiks was a candidate in the 1996 election for the President of Latvia, but lost to incumbent Guntis Ulmanis. Rubiks was released in November 1997 for good behavior, became chairman of the Socialist Party of Latvia in 1999, and was elected a Member of the European Parliament in the 2009 European Parliament elections.