ARCHIVE – Latvia’s head of government Evika Silina at a press conference. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/Archive picture
Keystone
Less than five months before the parliamentary elections in Latvia, the ruling three-party coalition led by Prime Minister Evika Silina has collapsed.
A few days after the forced resignation of Defense Minister Andris Spruds, the left-wing Progressives announced that they would no longer support the continuation of the coalition. This means that the government of the Baltic EU and NATO country no longer has a parliamentary majority – it now only consists of Silina’s liberal-conservative Jauna Vienotiba party and the Alliance of Farmers and Greens.
“The current prime minister does not have the nine votes of the Progressives,” said Progressives leader Andris Suvajevs after a meeting between his parliamentary group and Silina in Riga. At the same time, he called on President Edgars Rinkevics to begin consultations on the formation of a new government. However, the progressives would not recall their ministers for the time being, said Suvajevs.
A fierce political dispute had previously flared up in Latvia between the government partners over the resignation of Spruds. The progressive politician had resigned from office on Sunday following pressure from Silina after the latest drone incidents in the airspace of the country, which borders Russia and Belarus. The head of government now wants to fill the post of defense minister with military colonel Raivis Melnis – and no longer with a representative of her coalition partner.
Silina said after the meeting that the Progressives had not yet announced a decision on further cooperation during the talks. She had previously stated that if the Progressives were to leave the coalition, an interim government would take up its work. Latvia will elect a new parliament on October 3.