Straujuma, Laimdota [key], 1951–, Latvian economist and political leader. Straujuma was a division head (1993–97) at the Agriculture Consulting and Education Center of the Latvian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Economics, and then was deputy board chairperson (1997–98) of the Center. She was named deputy state secretary in the agriculture ministry in 1999 and then served state secretary there (2000–6) and in the regional development and local government ministry (2007–10) and as deputy state secretary in the environmental protection and regional development ministry. In 2011 she was appointed agriculture minister. Although not a member of any political party, she became prime mininster in Jan., 2014, with the support of a four-party coalition. She was the first woman to hold the office. She remained in office after the Oct., 2014, elections, this time heading a three-party coalition; in the election she was the Unity party's candidate. Tensions within the coalition led to her resignation as prime minister in Dec., 2015.
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