Latvia's president nominates Kulbergs to form new government

Latvia's President Edgars Rinkevics nominated Andris Kulbergs of the United List party to form a new government after Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned on Thursday following a row over how the armed forces handled a drone incursion last week.

"Mr. Kulbergs enjoys my full support and trust," Rinkevics told a news conference on Saturday afternoon in Riga. "Given the recent events, I believe the government should be formed by members of the opposition party."

The 46-year-old Kulbergs, whose United List party sits in opposition to the current three-party governing coalition, has until May 25 to show progress in putting together a new government that can command a majority in the 100-seat parliament. The party and its center-right allies hold 41 seats.

Latvia, a front line member of the European Union and NATO's eastern flank, has struggled to safely intercept drones coming across its border with Russia. Those often include Ukrainian drones that have veered off-course due to signal jamming.

"This is a particularly challenging moment, in which political forces must think together about the state and the stability of the country," Kulbergs said after the nomination. "Security is an obvious priority," he said, adding that he would try to create as broad a coalition as possible.

Silina resigned after clashing with her junior coalition partner the Progressives over two Ukrainian drones that crashed into an empty oil storage facility last week in eastern Latvia.

Kulbergs is relatively new to politics, entering parliament for the first time in 2022.

(Adds comments from Kulbergs in fifth paragraph)

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 10:58 PM.