Latvia’s president asks opposition leader to form new government | Politics News
Latvian President Supports Opposition Leader for Prime Minister Following Resignation
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has endorsed opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs to succeed Evika Silina as Prime Minister, following Silina’s resignation prompted by a recent drone incident involving Ukraine.
Kulbergs, who leads the United List party—the largest opposition bloc in Parliament—could assume office pending parliamentary approval of his cabinet.
“Considering recent events, I think the new prime minister should come from opposition parties,” Rinkevics said during a news conference on Saturday.
Silina resigned last weekend after dismissing Defense Minister Andris Spruds in the wake of an incident where two Ukrainian drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia and crashed at an oil storage facility. This event is one of several that have raised concerns in NATO member countries Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.
Silina criticized the political leadership of the defense sector, stating that it had failed to ensure safe skies for Latvia when explaining Spruds’s dismissal. Following the drone incident, Silina’s coalition partner, The Progressives, withdrew support from her government, leaving her without a parliamentary majority. In a televised statement on Thursday, she announced, “I am resigning, but I am not giving up.” Silina had held the prime ministerial office since 2023.
The president’s decision to nominate Kulbergs follows discussions with representatives from various political parties, as reported by Reuters. Rinkevics indicated that he has invited Kulbergs to form a government. However, any proposed cabinet must still be ratified by Parliament.
Kulbergs expressed his intention to build an “enlarged coalition” to govern until the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 3. “The president has given me 10 days,” he said at the news conference.
The drone incident on May 7 involved two Ukrainian drones, one of which struck a fuel depot in eastern Latvia, resulting in a fire that was quickly contained. Following this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured Rinkevics during a summit in Romania that Ukraine would send experts to assist Latvia in strengthening its air defenses.
