Latvian center-right Prime Minister Evika Silina announced her resignation on Thursday after her left-leaning coalition partner, the Progressives Party, withdrew support from the government, leaving her without a majority. Silina had been embroiled in a controversy over stray drones, allegedly from Ukraine, entering the territory.
The country’s Defence Minister Andris Spruds from the Progressives Party was also forced to resign last week over the government’s handling of the drones. Silina had accused Spruds of losing her and the public’s trust.
Explaining his resignation on Sunday, Silina said that the incident “clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defence sector has failed to fulfill its promise of safe skies over our country”.
Two alleged Ukrainian drones had entered Latvia on May 7, with one of them hitting a fuel storage facility. Spruds had said they were likely Ukrainian drones targeting Russia, straying to Latvia by mistake.
This was not the first incident of Ukrainian drones crossing into Latvian territory. Multiple Ukrainian drones aimed for Russia had hit the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia since March. The Latvian government has been under fire by critics, who say that the incidents have shown weaknesses in the nation’s ability to respond to military threats. The coalition government, which also included an agrarian party, had been at odds for months due to multiple issues.
Following her resignation, Silina posted a statement on X, “My priority has always been, and remains, the well-being and security of Latvia’s people. Parties and coalitions change, but Latvia endures. And my responsibility to society comes above all else.”
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevic is in charge of appointing the new head of government. He is expected to meet with representatives of all parliamentary parties on Friday.
Latvia was also scheduled to have their general election in October.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had accused Russia of “deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia” on Sunday. He offered Ukraine’s help to the Baltic states and Finland to prevent such incidents in the future.
