Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics nominated opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs of the United List party to form a new government on May 16, 2026, following the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Silina [1, 2, 3, 4].
Silina stepped down on May 14 after the Progressives party withdrew support for her government, collapsing the coalition. The move came amid fallout over the handling of a drone incursion into Latvia [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The crisis was triggered by two Ukrainian drones crossing from Russia on May 7. One crashed into an oil storage facility, causing a fire. The incident exposed failures in Latvia's defense systems [3]. Prime Minister Silina fired Defence Minister Andris Spruds over the failures, prompting the Progressives to pull support [2, 3].
"The drone incidents clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defence sector has failed to fulfil its promise of safe skies over our country," Silina said before resigning. "I am resigning, but I am not giving up," she added [3].
President Rinkevics said the new government should be formed by opposition parties due to recent events. "Mr. Kulbergs enjoys my full support and trust," he said. "Given the recent events, I believe the government should be formed by members of the opposition party," he added [1].
Kulbergs leads the United List, the largest opposition bloc in parliament [1, 2, 3, 4]. He said the new government must prioritize security, budget responsibility, and fighting corruption. "This must be a coalition of action, where emotions and disputes must be put aside. Security is an obvious priority," Kulbergs said [4].
President Rinkevics began coalition talks with all six parliamentary parties on May 15 and 16 but had not made a formal decision before nominating Kulbergs [5]. Kulbergs has until May 25 to report on coalition discussions, ministerial appointments, and a draft government declaration [3, 4].
Latvia continues to face a wave of drone incursions affecting it and other NATO Baltic members Estonia and Lithuania [3]. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 3, 2026 [2, 3, 4, 5].
