PM of an EU country reveals resignation

Krisjanis Karins of Latvia has declared that he will deliver an official letter to President Edgars Rinkevics on Thursday.

The resignation of the Latvian government and its prime minister, Krisjanis Karins, has been announced for later this week.

Karins, the head of the center-right New Unity alliance, said in a statement on X (previously Twitter) on Monday that he had notified his group that he would deliver a letter of resignation to President Edgars Rinkevics on Thursday.

The prime minister added that his coalition partners, the National Alliance party and the conservative United List alliance, were “blocking work for welfare and economic growth.” He gave his faction the opportunity to suggest a replacement.

Karins stressed during a press conference that Latvia needs a strong, vibrant government that is capable of making difficult decisions. When an official tries to hold onto their position, there are challenges for any nation, Karins continued. That was never my intention.

The announcement follows Karins’ declaration last week that he would begin talks with the Progressives and the opposition Union of Greens and Farmers alliance to create a new government coalition. The prime minister indicated at the time that he had no plans to stand down.

The United List and the National Alliance declined to participate in the negotiations, but the opposition consented to a meeting. Politicians from both parties stated that they were only willing to communicate within the current alliance.

Karins, a linguist and businessman of American descent, previously held the position of Minister of Economics for Latvia. After months of heated negotiations, he was elected prime minister in 2019 and overcame a no-confidence vote the following year.

Since Riga has backed sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war, relations with neighbouring Russia have gotten worse during his administration. Karins’ government agreed stringent limitations on Russian individuals entering Latvia through external EU borders in September 2022.