Latvian president proposes opposition lawmaker as next prime minister

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May 16, 2026 10:07 AM EDT

FILE PHOTO: Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics attends news conference, at Baltic Presidents' meeting, in Riga, Latvia December 4, 2025. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

By Janis Laizans

TALLINN, ‌May 16 (Reuters) - ​Latvian ​President Edgars Rinkevics on Saturday proposed opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs as the ‌next prime minister after Evika Silina resigned.

Silina ⁠said on Thursday she was stepping down, triggering ‌the collapse of her ‌coalition just months before an election due in October.

Kulbergs, from United List of smaller ​parties - the largest opposition bloc in parliament - will take office if lawmakers approve him ⁠and his cabinet.

"Considering recent events, I think the new prime ​minister should come from opposition parties," Rinkevics told a press conference.

Silina dismissed Defence ​Minister Andris Spruds last ‌weekend after two Ukrainian drones strayed into Latvia from Russia and ⁠exploded at an oil storage facility, the latest in a series of such incidents in NATO ⁠members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

The Latvian army said it ​failed to detect the drones as they crossed from Russia. Silina blamed Spruds for not developing anti-drone systems ‌quickly enough.

In response, Spruds' Progressives party withdrew support from Silina's government ‌on Wednesday, leaving her without a parliamentary ⁠majority and exposed to ‌a no-confidence vote.

(Reporting ​by Janis Laizans. Writing by Andrius Sytas. Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark ‌Potter)


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