Latvia parliament approves new gov’t after drone dispute toppled coalition

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Latvia’s parliament has approved a new coalition government that will lead the European Union and NATO member country in the coming months after its predecessor collapsed following an argument over its handling of stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine.

By a margin of 66 deputies in the 100-seat assembly, lawmakers on Thursday confirmed 47-year-old centrist Andris Kulbergs as prime minister, who will lead the Baltic nation of more than 1.8 million people until parliamentary elections on October 3.

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Evika Silina resigned in mid-May after one of her coalition partners withdrew its support and left her without a majority. She quit after Defence Minister Andris Spruds, a member of the Progressives Party, was forced to resign over the government’s handling of multiple incidents involving stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine crossing into Latvian territory.

Silina accused the minister of not deploying anti-drone defences fast enough to parry two wayward Ukraine attack drones, which are thought to have been knocked off course by Russian jamming. At the time, she said Spruds had lost her trust and that of the public. Still, her three-party coalition had been under strain for months over multiple issues.

The drones caused minimal damage but sparked widespread concern in the former Soviet republic, which is now a member of NATO and the EU.

Earlier this month, President Edgars Rinkevics backed opposition lawmaker Kulbergs to replace Silina for the top job of prime minister.

“The duty of the government is to ensure Latvia’s security in the broadest sense. That means guaranteeing the external security of the state, economic security, energy security, but also people’s sense of security in their own country,” Kulbergs said in a speech in the run-up to Thursday’s parliamentary vote.

He also confirmed outgoing foreign minister Baiba Braze would remain in her post and appointed a military officer, Colonel Raivis Melnis, as defence minister.

Several Russian and Ukrainian drones have crashed in Latvia – and neighbouring Lithuania and Estonia – since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to send experts to Latvia to help it boost its air defences.

The new Latvian four-party coalition should enjoy a healthy majority in parliament and pursue a broadly pro-EU, pro-NATO direction. The coalition parties have stressed the need to reinforce the military and the borders of the country of 1.8 million people.

“There is a broad consensus on foreign policy priorities,” political scientist Nils Muiznieks told the AFP news agency, adding that the new government was also likely to keep strong solidarity with Ukraine.