Julija Stepanenko (, ; born Julija Fedotova on 1 September 1977) is a

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, serving as a

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

of the

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the p ...

, the parliament of Latvia. Formerly a member of Honor to serve Riga and Law and Order, she is now a member of Sovereign Power, having left Law and Order in June 2021 and

Latvia First Latvia First (, LPV) is a right-wing populist political party in Latvia. It was founded in August 2021 by businessman and former member of parliament, former Minister of Transport, former vice-mayor of Riga, Ainārs Šlesers. The party board ch ...

at 2022.

Political activity

Stepanenko firstly was elected to the Saeima in 2014. She served on the Saeima European Affairs Committee. Stepanenko received more than 12,000 pluses and more than 90,000 votes at the

2018 Latvian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite lea ...

and became one of the most supported representatives of the 13th Saeima. On the first day of the sitting of the 13th Saeima Stepanenko announced she would be leaving the

Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

parliamentary fraction and working as an independent deputy, however, she stated that she would continue to work with the party in matters that do not conflict with her own values. Stepanenko started serving in the Legal, European Affairs and Sustainable Development committees. In January 2021 she co-founded the right-wing populist Law and Order party and was chosen to co-lead the party alongside fellow MP

Aldis Gobzems Aldis Gobzems (born October 10, 1978) is a Latvian politician and lawyer. He first rose to prominence as a lawyer who represented victims of the 2013 Zolitūde shopping centre roof collapse, and was the prime ministerial candidate for the Who Ow ...

until she left the party on 30 June 2021, criticising Gobzems' offensive style of communication. In August 2021 she was among the co-founders of the

party, being chosen as the party's board chair as well as their candidate for

President of Latvia The president of Latvia ( ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces, National Armed Forces of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. The term of this office is four years. Before 1999, it was three years. The presi ...

. From 15 November 2021, Julija Stepanenko was one of the four Saeima deputies to be barred from parliament sittings by a special law prohibiting elected representatives without a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

certificate to take part in the discussion both in-person and remotely. She believed that this decision of the parliamentary majority is deeply undemocratic and shows that under the banner of fighting against COVID-19 things have gone thoroughly astray.

References

External links

Stepanenko's personal website
1977 births Living people Politicians from Riga 21st-century Latvian women politicians Honor to serve Riga politicians Deputies of the 12th Saeima Deputies of the 13th Saeima Women deputies of the Saeima Latvian people of Russian descent Latvia First politicians {{Latvia-politician-stub