Tourist accommodation establishments in Latvia had a total of 447,100 guests in the first quarter of 2026, which was down 3.0% from 460,800 in the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The number of foreign guests amounted to 246,600, which was 7.2% fewer than a year earlier. The…
Latvia’s prime ministerial nominee, MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition United List, will seek to put together as broad a coalition government as possible, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Kulbergs suggested forming a coalition of all five political groups in the current parliament, the Saeima, except the populist Latvia First (LPV). He…
A suspected Ukrainian military drone crashed in northern Lithuania in the early evening of 17 May 2026, LRT reports. The National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) said that the drone crashed in a field near a village in the Utena district. According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGS), military radars failed to detect the drone, and…
The volume of freight transported by road increased, while the volume of rail freight decreased in Latvia in 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The total volume of freight transported by land amounted to 89.8 million tonnes in 2025, which was up 0.6% from 89.3 million tonnes in 2024. The volume…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has asked MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition United List to begin forming a new government, LSM reports. Rinkevics said that he chose Kulbergs because United List was the largest opposition group in the parliament, the Saeima, at the moment. Forming a new government was preferable to letting outgoing Prime Minister…
Latvia’s outgoing Prime Minister Evika Silina has dismissed Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) after the latter came under criminal investigation for abuse of office, LSM reported. Earlier, Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) briefly detained Krauze and the Agriculture Ministry’s former state secretary, current director of the…
Latvia’s opposition National Alliance and United List have reached a preliminary agreement with the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) to cooperate in forming a new government, LSM reports. However, the three groups only have 41 seats in the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, which is 10 short of a majority. Forming a new government without…
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has resigned, which means that her coalition government has collapsed, LSM reports. The opposition had planned to initiate a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. President Edgars Rinkevics will now consult parliamentary groups on forming a new government. Edgars Tavars, leader of the opposition United List’s parliamentary group,…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, suffered a loss of EUR 70.1mn in the first quarter of 2026, which was 2.4 times more than in the first quarter of 2025, when the company’s loss stood at EUR 29.348mn, LETA reported. The airline’s quarterly EBITDAR amounted to EUR 7mn, which was up from a loss of EUR…