Latvia’s centre-right Prime Minister, Evika Siliņa, announced on Thursday that she will step down, leading to the immediate collapse of her coalition government. The move comes as the country prepares for a scheduled national election this October.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who is constitutionally mandated to designate a new head of government, is scheduled to meet with all parliamentary parties on Friday to discuss the next steps.
Siliņa, a member of the centre-right New Unity party, lost her ruling majority on Wednesday after the left-wing Progressives party withdrew its support.
The political crisis follows the weekend dismissal of Defence Minister Andris Sprūds. His firing was linked to the controversial handling of recent incidents involving stray drones that reportedly entered Latvian airspace from Russian territory.
