Latvian Government Collapses After Prime Minister Resigns

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa announced on Thursday she would resign following a coalition controversy and a drone incident, effectively triggering the collapse of the country's governing alliance. The resignation comes just months before an election is due in October.

Siliņa, of the centre-right New Unity party, was left without a ruling majority in parliament on Wednesday after the left-wing Progressives party said it was withdrawing its support. In a televised address, she stated: "I am resigning, but I am not giving up." She added that her priorities have always been Latvia's security and people, but "political envy and narrow party interests" had taken precedence over responsibility.

A Drone Incident That Brought Down a Government

Defence Minister Andris Spruds resigned on May 10 after two Ukrainian drones diverted from their targets in Russia entered Latvian airspace and struck oil storage facilities earlier in the week. The strike on an oil storage facility in Rēzekne, eastern Latvia, on May 7 revealed gaps in the country's drone detection and public alert systems.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that the aircraft were Ukrainian and that "Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverted Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia," marking the first public confirmation from a senior Kyiv official that Moscow was redirecting Ukraine's own strike drones into allied territory.

The firing of Progressives' Defence Minister Spruds over the handling of the drone incidents prompted the left-wing party to withdraw its support from the coalition. This triggered the automatic collapse of the Latvian government, which had de facto already fallen on Wednesday when the coalition party Progressives announced they would no longer support it.

What Happens Next

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, who is tasked by the constitution to select a leader of the government, will meet all parliamentary parties on Friday. The government will continue to perform its duties until a new Cabinet of Ministers is approved.

Latvia is in the process of finalising a €3.49 billion defence loan from the European Union as part of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme, which forms part of the EU's broader push to rearm itself amid warnings that Russia could threaten the continent by 2030. The political turmoil leaves the approval of that loan and Latvia's broader defence agenda in a state of uncertainty ahead of the October vote.

Sources:
Euronews: Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa announces shock resignation
Kyiv Independent: Latvian defence minister resigns after drones violate country's airspace
Euronews: How drones over Latvia exposed cracks in Europe's eastern defences