Latvia's Political Landscape Shifts as Progressives Withdraw Support

Latvia's political scene is undergoing a significant shift as Prime Minister Evika Silina finds herself without a ruling majority. The withdrawal of support by the left-wing Progressives party comes in the wake of the dismissal of Defence Minister Andris Spruds. The minister's firing was linked to incidents involving Ukrainian drones entering Latvian airspace from Russia.

Progressives' parliamentary leader, Andris Suvajevs, announced the party's decision, urging President Edgars Rinkevics to initiate political consultations for forming a new government. Silina now faces a choice: to resign or face a parliamentary vote. She is currently in talks with the centre-right New Unity party and the Greens and Farmers Union.

Amidst this political turmoil, President Rinkevics is scheduled to meet with all parliamentary factions on Friday. The opposition, represented by the United List party, has already declared its intention to initiate a vote of no confidence, showing readiness to take governmental leadership, as reported by the BNS news wire.

(With inputs from agencies.)