Evika Siliņa Resigns as Latvia’s Coalition Government Collapses Amid Political Turmoil

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa announced on Thursday that she will step down, bringing down the country’s governing coalition just months before parliamentary elections scheduled for October and deepening a week of political instability in the Baltic state.

Siliņa, who leads the centre-right Unity Party, confirmed her decision in a statement posted on X and echoed the remarks during a televised address. She described the resignation as “difficult but honest,” saying her time in office had been guided by concerns over Latvia’s security and public welfare.

“But political envy and narrow party interests have taken precedence over responsibility,” she wrote.

Her departure effectively ends the three-party coalition government that had been struggling to hold together for months. Tensions sharpened after the resignation of Defence Minister Andris Sprūds, a member of the left-leaning Progressives Party.

Sprūds left office after Siliņa called for his resignation following a security incident involving Ukrainian drones that entered Latvian airspace after being diverted from Russia. The episode raised questions about Latvia’s air defence readiness and placed additional pressure on the already fragile coalition.

After Sprūds stepped down, the Progressives Party withdrew its support from the government, leaving Siliņa without a parliamentary majority and making the coalition’s collapse unavoidable.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics is expected to begin consultations with parliamentary parties on Friday as he considers candidates to form a new government.

The political crisis unfolded alongside a separate corruption investigation involving two senior Latvian officials.

Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze and State Chancellery Director Raivis Kronbergs were detained by Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, according to prosecutors cited by Latvian news agency LETA.

Investigators carried out raids at the officials’ homes and workplaces, while local reports said both men’s phones had been switched off during the operation.

Prosecutors are examining allegations connected to the misuse of authority and negligence in the allocation of government support to companies in Latvia’s timber industry, one of the country’s most economically significant sectors.

Forests cover more than half of Latvia’s territory, and timber processing remains the country’s largest industrial industry, valued at around €3.3 billion, according to Latvia’s Investment and Development Agency.

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The developments have left Latvia facing simultaneous political and institutional pressure at a sensitive moment ahead of national elections, with attention now turning to whether a new governing majority can be assembled quickly enough to avoid a prolonged period of uncertainty.