Latvian Prime Minister resigns after disagreement with allies.

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced on August 14 that he would resign this weekend after two other parties in his three-party ruling coalition refused to reshuffle his cabinet.

Mr. Karins, 58, of the center-right New Unity party, had planned to remain in office after announcing a new round of coalition talks, but two partners in the current coalition said doing so would violate the Latvian Constitution, Baltic News Service reported.

Following the general election last October, the three parties signed an agreement in December 2022 to form a coalition government. Together, they hold 54 seats in Latvia's 100-seat parliament , known as the Saeima.

Karins stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, that two parties in the coalition – the conservative National Alliance and the centrist United List – are “hindering welfare jobs and economic growth.”

Earlier, on August 11, Mr. Karins announced his intention to end the current coalition and form a new governing coalition after the National Alliance and United List rejected his proposals for ministerial reshuffles and revisions to priorities.

Latvian television reported that Karins, born in Wilmington, Delaware, had asked his New Unity Party to nominate a new candidate for Prime Minister, and that he would not be the next leader of the government.

The New Unity Party has planned to select its prime minister candidate on August 23rd.

Mr. Karins – who has served as Prime Minister of Latvia since 2019 – will submit his resignation and that of his entire current Cabinet to President Edgars Rinkevics on August 17. The next parliamentary elections in Latvia are scheduled for 2026.

Latvia and its Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, were already heavily impacted by the energy crisis due to their dependence on Russian gas before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

These three countries cut off gas supplies from Russia shortly after the conflict broke out, and Latvia now relies primarily on its own gas reserves and imports from Lithuania.

Latvia currently has one of the highest inflation rates in the European Union (EU), although it has eased over the past six months, it remained at 6.4% in July.

This Baltic nation shares borders with both Russia and Belarus .

Minh Duc (According to Le Monde, DW)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/bat-dong-voi-dong-minh-thu-tuong-latvia-tu-chuc-a621666.html