Elīna Pinto
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| Elīna Pinto | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elīna Dzalbe May 24, 1981 Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union (now Latvia) |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | Latvian |
| 🏫 Education | University of Latvia |
| 💼 Occupation | Lawyer, public administration specialist, civic activist, politician |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Orlando Pinto |
| 👶 Children | 3 |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | Pēteris Dzalbe Ingrīda Dzalbe |
Elīna Pinto (née Dzalbe; born 24 May 1981) is a Latvian lawyer, public administration specialist, and civic and Latvian diaspora activist who has worked for several years in European Union institutions. In 2023 she was the presidential candidate of the Progressives party, and in 2024 she headed the party's list in the European Parliament election in Latvia, narrowly missing a seat. She left the party in October 2025.[1]
Early life and education
Pinto was born Elīna Dzalbe on 24 May 1981 in Riga, and grew up in Jelgava in a family of five children.[2] Her father, Pēteris Dzalbe, was a former justice of the Supreme Court of Latvia.[2] She studied law at the University of Latvia and later obtained a master's degree in human rights and democratisation through the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation in Venice, with further studies at the London School of Economics and the University of Luxembourg.[3][4][2] She spent seven years heading the European Latvian Association, a diaspora umbrella organisation.[5]
Career
Pinto began working in European Union institutions in 2003, serving as a human rights adviser in the representation of the Council of the EU General Secretariat to the United Nations in Geneva and New York.[6] From 2008 to 2011 she was an adviser to the Council's Director-General on foreign affairs and security policy, and subsequently an adviser to the Deputy Secretary-General on international crisis management, NATO and security policy issues, taking part in monitoring visits for EU civilian and military crisis-management missions in Kosovo, Georgia and Afghanistan.[6]
From 2012 to 2019, Pinto worked as a translator at the European Commission.[6] She also served as a department director at the Office of the Ombudsman before, between 2019 and 2020, becoming an advisor to Latvian President Egils Levits on modern state and sustainability affairs.[4][3][6] She subsequently worked until 2023 as an expert consultant on public governance issues at the OECD, before joining the European Commission's representation in Luxembourg, where she has headed communications and partnerships.[3][2]
Political career
2023 presidential candidacy
On 11 May 2023, the opposition Progressives party named Pinto as its candidate for President of Latvia, describing her as an international-organisations and public-administration professional and diaspora activist.[3][7] She stood as a "non-affiliated" candidate, saying she was not formally a party member despite being its nominee, and campaigned on themes of decisive, inclusive leadership.[3] Edgars Rinkēvičs was elected president by the Saeima in June 2023; Pinto joined the Progressives party that summer.[1]
European Parliament candidacy
In January 2024, the Progressives named Pinto the leader of their list for the 2024 European Parliament election in Latvia, alongside former Riga mayor Mārtiņš Staķis and co-chair Justīne Panteļējeva.[8][9] In the June 2024 election, the Progressives won 7.42 percent of the vote and one seat; Staķis was elected with the most votes on the list, while Pinto, running first on the ballot, received the second-highest number of preferential votes but was not elected.[10]
Party board membership
From 2024, Pinto served on the Progressives' board and as the party's authorised representative to the European Green Party.[11]
Departure from the party
On 13 October 2025, Pinto announced she was leaving the Progressives, citing the party's direction on regional development in Latvia among her reasons.[1][12] Former Riga city councillor Mārtiņš Zvejnieks (later Mieriņš) took her place on the party board.[11]
Personal life
Pinto is married to Orlando Pinto, a Luxembourgish diplomat of Portuguese descent, and the couple have three children.[2] The family divides its time between Luxembourg and Ķesterciems, Latvia.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ""Progresīvos" pamet kādreizējā partijas prezidenta amata kandidāte un EP vēlēšanu saraksta līdere Elīna Pinto" (in latviešu). LSM.lv. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Elīna Pinto: Bērni man teica, ka ļoti gribētu, lai es kļūstu ..." (in latviešu). Rīta Kafija. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "'Progressives' name Elīna Pinto as presidential candidate". LSM.lv. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 ""Progresīvie" Valsts prezidenta amatam izvirza Elīnu Pinto" (in latviešu). TV3.lv. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ "PROGRESĪVIE Valsts prezidenta amatam virza Elīnu Pinto" (in latviešu). The Progressives. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Elīna Pinto" (in latviešu). Wikipedia (Latvian edition). Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ "Progressive Party's presidential candidate – European official Elīna Pinto". BNN. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ ""Progresīvo" līderi EP vēlēšanām – Elīna Pinto un Mārtiņš Staķis" (in latviešu). LSM.lv. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ ""Progresīvie" paziņo līderus Eiropas Parlamenta vēlēšanām" (in latviešu). Apollo.lv. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ "9. "PROGRESĪVIE" — Eiropas Parlamenta vēlēšanas 2024" (in latviešu). Central Election Commission of Latvia. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Elīna Pinto, kas reiz kandidēja uz Valsts prezidentes amatu, izstājusies no partijas "Progresīvie"" (in latviešu). Jauns.lv. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
- ↑ "Elīna Pinto izstājas no partijas "Progresīvie"" (in latviešu). Jelgavnieki.lv. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2026.
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- CS1 latviešu-language sources (lv)
- Articles containing suspected AI-generated texts from September 2026
- 1981 births
- People from Riga
- People from Jelgava
- University of Latvia alumni
- Latvian lawyers
- Latvian women lawyers
- The Progressives (Latvia) politicians
- Candidates for President of Latvia
- 21st-century Latvian politicians
- 21st-century Latvian women politicians
- Latvian expatriates in Luxembourg
