Krisjanis Karins, Prime Minister of Latvia, has stated that he and his administration will step down later this week.
Karins, who leads the center-right New Unity alliance, said in a statement on X (previously Twitter) on Monday that he had notified his faction that he will send a letter of resignation to President Edgars Rinkevics on Thursday.
The prime minister also accused his conservative United List and right-wing National Alliance coalition allies of “blocking work for welfare and economic growth.” He invited his side to choose a replacement for him.
Karins stated at a news conference that Latvia requires a strong and dynamic administration capable of making difficult decisions. “There are difficulties for any country when someone tries to hold on to their office,” Karins noted. “That’s never been my goal.”
Karins announced last week that he will begin negotiations to build a new government coalition with the opposition Progressives and the Union of Greens and Farmers alliance. The prime minister said at the time that he had no intention of stepping down.
The opposition agreed to meet, but the United List and the National Alliance refused to participate. Politicians from both parties stated that they were only willing to engage in talks within the present partnership.
Karins, a professional linguist and businessman of American origin, previously served as Latvia’s Minister of Economics. He was elected prime minister in 2019 after months of acrimonious negotiations, and he survived a no-confidence vote the following year.
Relations with neighboring Russia have deteriorated throughout his tenure, as Riga has supported sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war. Karins’ administration approved harsh restrictions on Russian citizens entering Latvia through external EU borders in September 2022.
