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Latvia Lawmaker Kulbergs Says He Will Form Four-Party Government
Kulbergs said his proposed cabinet would keep national security at the top of the agenda after the coalition fell over Russian drone incursions.
On Monday, Latvian opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs announced plans to form a four-party majority government after the ruling coalition collapsed this month over national security disputes. Kulbergs, tasked by President Edgars Rinkevics with forming a new cabinet, told a press conference: "We have now reached a division plan."
Prime Minister Evika Silina stepped down after a dispute within her coalition over the government's handling of Russian drone incursions, triggering its collapse just five months before a scheduled general election. The Baltic states have reported repeated incursions in recent months as Ukraine steps up attacks near the Baltic Sea.
Kulbergs described the four-party solution as built on "the simplest possible principles—four partners, equal terms—and simply move forward from there." Silina's government will remain in a caretaker role until a successor is sworn in.
Parliament could vote on the new government as early as this week, President Rinkevics indicated, with Silina's cabinet remaining in a caretaker role until a successor is sworn in. The timing compresses the transition before the general election.
National security is expected to remain the coalition's top priority as Latvia, a NATO member and close ally of Kyiv, maintains a firm stance on Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. The new government must establish itself before the general election five months away.
The four parties seeking to form Latvia's new government, led by Andris Kulbergas of the United List, have managed to share responsibilities, and the specific names of ministerial candidates will be announced on Tuesday.
Latvian Prime Ministerial Candidate Andris Kulbergs presented the new government to the President on Monday. The new government will be announced on Tuesday, LSM writes.