{"id":3962,"date":"2026-05-14T18:33:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroomin.eu\/en\/?p=3962"},"modified":"2026-05-26T11:11:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T08:11:04","slug":"latvian-government-resignation-silina-steps-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroomin.eu\/en\/latvian-government-resignation-silina-steps-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvian Government Resignation: Sili\u0146a Steps Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Evika
Prime Minister Evika Sili\u0146a has resigned | Photo: Social Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Latvian government resignation<\/strong> was officially announced by Prime Minister Evika Sili\u0146a<\/strong> on May 14, 2026, signaling the collapse of the three-party ruling coalition, which included Sili\u0146a\u2019s New Unity (Jaun\u0101 Vienot\u012bba), the Union of Greens and Farmers (Za\u013co un Zemnieku savien\u012bba), and the Progressives (Progres\u012bvie).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While an incident involving Ukrainian drones in the Latgale region served as the formal catalyst, the cabinet\u2019s fall followed a deep systemic crisis. The government had accumulated a critical mass of internal conflicts, and the drone incident provided the final blow to the fragile administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drones in R\u0113zekne and the search for a \u201cscapegoat\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"Andris
Andris Spr\u016bds | Facebook andris.spruds <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The final crisis began on May 7\u20138, when unmanned aerial vehicles violated Latvian airspace and crashed near R\u0113zekne<\/a>. Despite Latvia allocating a record 5% of its GDP<\/strong> to defense, National Armed Forces (NBS) radars failed to detect the threat in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sili\u0146a immediately blamed Defense Minister Andris Spr\u016bds<\/strong>, citing a loss of trust. Spr\u016bds and his party, the Progressives, called the move a cynical attempt to use the minister as a \u201cscapegoat\u201d<\/strong> for systemic air defense failures. During a press conference, Spr\u016bds accused the Prime Minister of lying, stating he learned of his dismissal through social media. He added that the drones were “clearly Ukrainian,” contradicting Sili\u0146a’s attempts to immediately blame Russia for the incident. The Progressives subsequently withdrew from the coalition, leaving the Prime Minister without a majority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic \u201cblack holes\u201d: airBaltic and Rail Baltica<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the military scandal, the government faced pressure from two major infrastructure failures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n