Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced her resignation on Thursday, bringing down her coalition government just months before elections scheduled for October. This political crisis comes amid rising tensions over regional security and the war in Ukraine.
"I am resigning, but I am not giving up," the centrist leader declared in a televised address. Her departure comes after the loss of her parliamentary majority, definitively weakening her government.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, who is constitutionally responsible for appointing a new head of government, must now consult with the various parties represented in Parliament in an attempt to form a new coalition.
Evika Silina, a member of the center-right New Unity party, saw her government lose the support of the left-wing Progressives party, which announced its withdrawal from the coalition on Wednesday. This split made it impossible to maintain a parliamentary majority.
The crisis stems from the dismissal of Defense Minister Andris Spruds, a member of the Progressives party. He was removed following criticism of his handling of incidents involving stray Ukrainian drones that flew over Latvian territory from Russia.
This case has reignited concerns in Latvia regarding border security and the indirect consequences of the war in Ukraine for the Baltic states. Bordering Russia and a close NATO ally, Latvia remains particularly sensitive to any issue related to defense and regional stability.
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