(May 14): Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced her resignation on Thursday after a junior partner said it would no longer vote alongside her coalition, depriving the government of a majority in parliament.
“I resign, but I do not give up,” said Silina at a press conference in the capital Riga, accusing the Progressives of choosing “political jealousy and narrow party interests” over responsibility.
Silina’s resignation means she and her government will stay in office in a caretaker role until a new administration can be formed ahead of October’s general election.
Her sudden move was triggered by the crash of two Ukrainian drones in eastern Latvia last week, leading politicians to trade barbs about the effectiveness of the the Baltic nation’s air defences. Silina tried to replace Minister of Defence Andris Spruds with her own military adviser on Sunday, leading the Progressives — of which Spruds is a member — to say they’d no longer vote as part of the three-party coalition.
Latvia, a frontline member of the European Union and Nato’s eastern flank, has struggled to safely intercept drones coming across its border with Russia. Those often include Ukrainian drones that have veered off-course due to signal jamming. The alliance scrambled its fighter jets during the May 7 incident, when the drones crashed near an empty oil storage facility, causing minor damage but no fatalities.
Silina called Thursday’s press conference after opposition parties said they were gathering signatures to trigger a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
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Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics will meet with all political parties on Friday in an effort to broker a new government ahead of parliamentary elections.
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