Latvia has been plunged into a serious political crisis after Prime Minister Evika Siliņa announced her resignation. Her decision came amid growing tensions within the ruling coalition and after the Progressive Party declared that it would support a possible motion to remove her from office in parliament.

Announcing her resignation, Siliņa stressed that she was not abandoning her political responsibility for the country. “I am resigning, but I am not giving up, and I am not abandoning the promises I made to the Latvian people,” she said in a statement to the media. She added that her priorities remain the development of the country, the security of citizens, and the well-being of society.

The government crisis erupted after the coalition’s Progressive Party concluded that the cabinet had lost its ability to act effectively. The party’s deputy chairman, Andris Suvajevs, said that talks with the prime minister had not produced a satisfactory result. In his view, there were only two possible scenarios: Siliņa’s voluntary resignation or a no-confidence vote in the Latvian parliament.

The immediate background to the crisis was the earlier resignation of Defense Minister Andris Sprūds. He stepped down following an incident involving Ukrainian drones that entered Latvian airspace and reportedly damaged oil tanks. Prime Minister Siliņa had demanded his resignation, accusing him of failing to activate anti-drone systems quickly enough.

It was the case of the defense minister that reportedly intensified the conflict between the prime minister and the Progressive Party. In her statement, Siliņa accused her coalition partner of making commitments it was unable to fulfill. She said this was politically unacceptable, especially at a time when the safety of citizens was at stake.

The opposition had also called on the prime minister to resign. Edvards Smiltēns, former speaker of the Latvian parliament, warned that if Siliņa did not step down herself, the United List coalition would begin collecting signatures for a motion to remove her.

The key role now falls to Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs. Under the constitution, it is the president who nominates a candidate for prime minister. He is expected to meet with all parliamentary parties to begin consultations on forming a new government.

Siliņa’s resignation marks a major reshuffle on Latvia’s political scene. Her government lasted only a few months, and its collapse comes at a particularly sensitive moment for security in the Baltic region. Latvia, like Estonia and Lithuania, is one of the NATO countries most exposed to pressure from Russia and Belarus. For this reason, the political crisis in Riga will be closely watched not only by Latvian voters but also by allies across Europe and NATO.