Latvian political unrest – the government resigns en masse

The prime minister places responsibility on the coalition parties

Political developments are intense in Latvia, where there is unrest at a higher level after the information that the Prime Minister of Latvia wants to submit his resignation and that of his government to the President of the Republic.

According to Reuters, Prime Minister Christianis Karens is expected to submit his resignation within the week.

“This Thursday, I will present my resignation and the resignation of the government to the President of the Republic,” he said during a press conference.

This decision comes after the parties participating in the government refused to cooperate in a cabinet reshuffle as proposed by Karens. He blamed his decision on his partners in government, saying they “put obstacles in the way of working towards prosperity and economic development.”

It is noteworthy that Karens tried, on Friday, without success, to secure the participation of more parties in the government in the House of Representatives. He reached out to the left-wing progressive party, the Greens and the Farmers’ Union, a coalition of conservative groups led by Ivars Limbergs, the mayor of the coastal city of Ventspils, who has been on the US sanctions list since 2019 over the allegations. corruption.

He explained that the center-right “New Unity” party, led by Karens, is expected to choose its candidate for the post of prime minister next Wednesday (16/8).

However, President Edgars Rinkewics would ultimately decide to authorize the formation of a new government.

In any case, any new coalition decided upon would be required to obtain a vote of confidence from the Latvian parliament before taking office.

The center-right New Unity Party won first place in national elections in October 2022, taking 26 seats out of 100 in the fragmented seven-party parliament. The need to form a government led to the cooperation of the first party with other parties. These are the far-right National Alliance and the United List, a coalition of smaller parties.

However, relations with the coalition parties deteriorated after a failed attempt to agree on a joint candidate in the presidential elections in May.

The next elections in Latvia are scheduled for 2026.