Latvian Prime Minister Resigns After Coalition Loses Majority

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced her resignation on Thursday after the Progressives party withdrew its support from the ruling coalition, reducing it to 41 seats in the 100-seat parliament. The withdrawal followed Silina’s decision to remove Defense Minister Andris Spruds after two suspected Ukrainian drones entered Latvian territory on May 7, one of which crashed at a disused oil storage site in eastern Latvia.

According to sources, similar Ukrainian drone breaches have occurred since March.

Silina stated that the defense leadership had failed to ensure safe skies. Spruds formally resigned on Monday. Silina then proposed a military officer as his replacement, but the Progressives rejected the nominee and accused her of making Spruds a scapegoat.

Nine members of the party subsequently left the coalition. Opposition parties signaled they would push for a no-confidence vote. President Edgars Rinkevics is scheduled to meet with parliamentary party representatives on Friday to discuss forming a new government.

Silina said in a televised statement that she was resigning but would not give up her commitment to the country. She added that her priority remained the well-being and security of Latvia’s people ahead of general elections scheduled for October. “I am resigning, but I am not giving up,” Silina said on May 14, 2026.

The incidents are part of a pattern in which suspected Ukrainian drones heading for targets in Russia have entered Latvian territory, with similar events reported in other Baltic states and across Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine. Several Russian and Ukrainian drones have crashed in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since 2022 without causing deaths.

Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy and port facilities in recent months, increasing the frequency of such cross-border incidents.

Latvian officials have stressed the need to strengthen air defenses, with discussions underway for long-term cooperation on a multi-layered system. The government change occurs against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions stemming from the war in Ukraine.

Silina’s Unity party had formed the coalition with the Progressives and other partners. The prime minister’s exit leaves the country in a period of political transition less than five months before voters head to the polls.