Latvia's parliament on Thursday approved a new coalition government led by centrist Andris Kulbergs, 47, with 66 votes in the 100-seat assembly. He will lead the Baltic nation of over 1.8 million people until parliamentary elections on October 3.

The previous government of Evika Silina collapsed in mid-May after a coalition partner withdrew support. The crisis was triggered by a dispute over the handling of stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine crossing into Latvian territory.

Defense Minister Andris Spruds was forced to resign after the government allegedly failed to deploy anti-drone defenses quickly enough against two wayward Ukrainian attack drones, thought to have been knocked off course by Russian jamming. Silina claimed Spruds had lost her trust and that of the public.

The drones caused minimal damage but sparked widespread concern in the former Soviet republic, now a NATO and EU member. President Edgars Rinkevics earlier backed opposition lawmaker Kulbergs to replace Silina.

"The duty of the government is to ensure Latvia's security in the broadest sense," Kulbergs said in a speech before the vote. He confirmed Foreign Minister Baiba Braze would remain in her post and appointed Colonel Raivis Melnis as defense minister.

Several Russian and Ukrainian drones have crashed in Latvia and neighboring Baltic states since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to send experts to help boost Latvia's air defenses.

The new four-party coalition is expected to enjoy a healthy parliamentary majority and pursue a pro-EU, pro-NATO direction, with strong solidarity with Ukraine.

Source: www.aljazeera.com