Europe now has four countries led by openly gay national leaders

Key Points

• Four European countries currently have openly gay leaders
• Latvia has the EU’s first openly gay head of state
• Serbia joined the list after a presidential resignation

Four European countries are currently headed by openly gay national leaders, following recent political changes in the Netherlands and Serbia that have expanded a small group once dominated by a handful of European pioneers.

As of October 2026, the group includes Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Andorran Head of Government Xavier Espot Zamora and Serbia’s acting President Ana Brnabić.

The four hold different constitutional roles. Jetten and Espot are heads of government, Rinkēvičs is a president elected by Latvia's parliament, while Brnabić is temporarily performing presidential duties in Serbia.

Netherlands and Latvia mark firsts

Jetten became prime minister of the Netherlands on February 23, 2026, after King Willem-Alexander swore in his government. At 38, he became the country's youngest prime minister and its first openly gay person to hold the office.

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Jetten has spoken publicly about LGBT rights since taking office. At Amsterdam's WorldPride Human Rights Conference in August, he discussed his own experience and said his government would invest €7.5 million a year for three years in measures aimed at improving safety for the queer community.

Latvia's Rinkēvičs has been president since July 2023. He publicly came out as gay in 2014 and became the first openly gay head of state of an EU member country when he took office.

Andorra and Serbia complete the current group

Espot has led Andorra's government since 2019 and publicly discussed his sexuality in 2023, saying, “I am gay” during an interview with Andorran public broadcaster RTVA. He said he hoped his experience would show young people that their sexual orientation did not prevent them from reaching the country's highest political offices.

Serbia is the newest addition. Ana Brnabić, who became Serbia's first female and openly gay prime minister in 2017, took over as acting president on September 28, 2026, after President Aleksandar Vučić resigned. Serbian law allows the speaker of parliament to carry out presidential duties for no more than three months when the presidency becomes vacant.