Latvian Parliament blocks sixth attempt to oust PM Siliņa

Latvia’s Saeima on Thursday, February 12, rejected a motion seeking the dismissal of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.

According to Latvian media, the no-confidence initiative was submitted by the opposition party, Latvia First. The matter had previously been placed on the agenda on February 5, but the vote did not take place due to the absence of a quorum, and consideration of the issue was postponed until Thursday’s session.

During the latest vote, 39 deputies voted in favour of removing Siliņa from office, while 48 lawmakers voted against the motion. One member of parliament abstained.

The opposition put forward several arguments in support of the resignation demand. Among them were what it described as inadequate government efforts in handling the reception of migrants, a “de facto failure” in supervising the Rail Baltica infrastructure project, and weak economic development indicators.

Edgars Tavars, head of the parliamentary faction of the opposition United List, also criticised high heating tariffs in Riga, problems within the education system — citing disproportionately high salaries for university rectors and low pay for lecturers — and what he characterised as “complete confusion” in foreign policy.

Gatis Liepiņš, a deputy representing the ruling New Unity party, described the no-confidence motion as an attempt to draw public attention and said he was curious how frequently the opposition would continue to bring forward such initiatives.

Liepiņš further argued that the grounds cited for the resignation demand did not reflect reality. He noted that Moody’s has assigned Latvia a stable credit rating and that the country’s public debt is not viewed as posing a crisis risk. He also dismissed claims of declining prosperity, pointing out that wages in 2025 had risen by 193% compared with 2010, while prices over the same period had increased by 62.4%.

“We as a state have achieved a great deal, no matter how much you may oppose it,” the lawmaker stressed.

Elections to the Saeima are scheduled for October this year.

By Tamilla Hasanova