Latvian Lawmaker Moves to Form New Government, Eyes Vote as Soon as This Week

RIGA, May 25 (Reuters) – Latvian opposition lawmaker ⁠Andris ⁠Kulbergs of the United ⁠List said on Monday he aimed to form a ​four-party majority government after the ruling coalition collapsed this month over national ‌security concerns, though a ‌final deal has yet to be struck.

The Baltic states, close ⁠allies of ⁠Kyiv and members of NATO, have reported repeated incursions by ​Russian drones in recent months as Ukraine steps up attacks on targets inside Russia, including near the Baltic Sea.

Prime Minister Evika Silina stepped down ​after a dispute within her coalition over the government’s handling of ⁠the ⁠drone incursions, triggering its ⁠collapse ​just five months before a scheduled general election.

“We have now reached a ​division plan,” Kulbergs, who ⁠has been tasked by President Edgars Rinkevics with forming a new cabinet, told a press conference.

“The way we reached this solution, a division among four partners, was straightforward. We had to proceed based ⁠on the simplest possible principles – four partners, equal terms – and simply ⁠move forward from there,” he said.

Kulbergs leads the United List, the largest opposition bloc in parliament, and would take office if lawmakers approve him and his centre-right cabinet. Rinkevics said parliament could vote on a new government as early as this week.

National security is expected to remain a top priority for Kulbergs’ coalition, with the Baltic states maintaining a ⁠hard line on Russia and remaining among the most outspoken critics of Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Silina’s government will remain in a caretaker role until a successor is sworn in.

(Reporting ​by Janis Laizans; writing by Anna Ringstrom, editing ​by Niklas Pollard and Essi Lehto)

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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