The political party Progressives has called on Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs to begin consultations on forming a new government, the head of the party’s Saeima faction, Andris Šuvajevs, said on Wednesday after meeting with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.
As previously reported, the Prime Minister on Wednesday offered the Progressives to continue cooperation within the coalition government.
Siliņa stated that during the meeting the Progressives did not announce their final decision regarding future cooperation, as they still wished to hold internal discussions. The Prime Minister proposed that her nominated candidate for defense minister, Colonel Raivis Melnis, could become the joint candidate of the entire coalition.
As reported earlier, after Siliņa’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Andris Sprūds, the Progressives declared that the Prime Minister was incapable of responsibly leading the government. At the same time, the party said it wanted to meet with Siliņa before announcing its final decision on further action.
The Progressives and Siliņa met on Wednesday afternoon.
Siliņa was accompanied by her chosen candidate for defense minister, Melnis.
The Prime Minister decided to demand Sprūds’ resignation following the drone incidents in Latgale, citing a loss of confidence in the minister and problems within the defense sector.
Meanwhile, Sprūds announced his resignation, taking political responsibility and seeking to protect the army from being drawn into political conflicts.
Various disagreements have existed among coalition partners for a long time, although until now they had managed to agree on continuing their work together.
The Prime Minister has previously stated that if the Progressives decide to leave the coalition, a technical government would continue operating.