Latvia has a new government, two weeks after former prime minister Evika Siliņa's resignation.
The Latvian parliament confirmed the centre-right coalition of the new head of government, Andris Kulbergs, in Riga on Thursday in a 66 to 25 vote in favour of the four-party alliance led by the 47-year-old former opposition politician from the centrist-conservative electoral alliance United List.
In his speech to parliament, Kulbergs said that national security would be a key focus of his government. Due to the war in Ukraine, there have been several incidents involving drones in Latvian airspace. The country borders Russia and Belarus. This had also led to tensions with Moscow.
Latvia is a member of both the European Union and NATO.
Kulbergs is backed by a coalition comprising the Farmers and Greens Union, the National Alliance and Siliņa’s liberal-conservative party Jaunā Vienotība. The four parties signed a coalition agreement before the vote.
Kulbergs is the 17th prime minister since Latvia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The former head of the Latvian Automobile Association, who has been a member of parliament since 2022, is a car enthusiast and owns several classic automobiles.
Siliņa resigned on May 14 after one of her two coalition partners withdrew its confidence in her following the forced resignation of Defence Minister Andris Sprūds, who stepped down under pressure from Siliņa following drone incidents on the border with Russia. She had criticized him for failures in the country's drone defence.
The political crisis has hit Latvia just a few months before the parliamentary election in early October.
.jpg)
