Kulbergs himself would become prime minister, while the coalition also hands key portfolios to figures from across Latvia’s fragmented political spectrum, including former Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis as finance minister and National Alliance heavyweight Ilze Indriksone as education minister.
Foreign Minister Baiba Braže is set to remain in office, while Colonel Raivis Melnis has been tapped for defense minister — a controversial move that would initially place an active-duty military officer in charge of the armed forces. Melnis has since pledged to leave the military before parliament votes on the cabinet.
He praised Melnis’ direct experience working with Ukraine, particularly on drone warfare. “No one in the world right now is as prepared with defense solutions for what currently threatens us most — drones,” Kulbergs said.
The new government comes following the collapse of the previous administration, led by center-right Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, earlier in May, after political backlash erupted over two stray Ukrainian drones that struck Latvian oil facilities.
The incident intensified broader fears across the Baltics about drone spillover from the war in Ukraine, after several recent incidents involving stray drones and airspace breaches in NATO territory.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs then asked Kulbergs to lead government talks, with the potential future prime minister, announcing plans for the four-party coalition on Monday.
Security and defense are expected to dominate the new coalition’s agenda as Latvia confronts growing instability on NATO’s eastern border.