Latvia Prime Minister Evika Siliņa Resigns After Coalition Collapse

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has resigned after her coalition government collapsed when a key partner withdrew support. The crisis was triggered by disagreements over defence management following incidents involving stray Russian drones entering Latvian airspace. Her resignation comes ahead of scheduled elections in October.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has announced her resignation following the collapse of her coalition government after a key political partner withdrew its support in parliament.
Siliņa, who leads the center-right New Unity party, said she was stepping down after the left-wing Progressive party exited the ruling coalition, leaving her without the parliamentary majority needed to govern effectively. In a televised statement, she said, “I am resigning, but I am not giving up,” while also suggesting that political tensions and rivalries played a major role in the government’s downfall.
The crisis developed after the removal of former Defence Minister Andris Sprūds, a member of the Progressive party. His dismissal came amid growing criticism of how Latvia responded to security incidents involving stray drones that entered Latvian airspace from Russia. The situation heightened concerns about national defence readiness, especially given Latvia’s proximity to Russia and Belarus during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Siliņa had argued that the defence ministry’s response to the drone incidents was too slow and had taken the unusual step of temporarily assuming the role of defence minister herself. However, the Progressive party strongly disagreed with her decision, accusing her of unfairly making Sprūds a scapegoat for wider failures within the government’s security apparatus.
The drone incidents included at least one case where a stray device reportedly caused a fire at an abandoned oil storage facility in eastern Latvia, raising alarm about potential risks to critical infrastructure. These events intensified public debate about whether Latvia’s defence systems are adequately prepared to respond to cross-border aerial threats.
In her resignation statement and later comments shared online, Siliņa defended her leadership, saying she had worked to maintain unity among a diverse coalition and ensure stability in the country. She also accused political opponents of prioritizing narrow party interests over national responsibility, arguing that internal political disputes had weakened the government at a time of security challenges.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who is constitutionally responsible for nominating a prime ministerial candidate, is expected to begin consultations with all parliamentary parties to determine how a new government can be formed.
The three-party coalition had already been under strain due to policy disagreements, with Siliņa’s New Unity party holding the largest share of seats but still dependent on smaller partners to maintain a fragile majority. The collapse now raises uncertainty over who will govern Latvia in the lead-up to scheduled parliamentary elections in October, which are likely to be influenced by debates over national security, coalition stability, and relations with Russia amid the broader regional tensions.