The Real Colonel. Who does Silina want to see as Minister of Defense and why? 0 16

This evening, Evika Silina decided to surprise everyone impossibly. First, knowing about Andris Sprud's intention to resign, she took the initiative and announced that she was dismissing Sprud. The second surprise was that the Prime Minister immediately named a possible successor to Sprud in this position. He turned out to be a non-politician, but a professional military officer, Raivis Melnis. Political insiders are now speculating: what do these two moves by the Prime Minister mean?

Why did Silina need to dismiss Sprud herself, escalating tensions with the "Progressives"? And why was it necessary, again in violation of coalition agreements, to rush to nominate a non-partisan candidate for minister instead of suggesting that the "Progressives" propose a candidate from their ranks?

There are three main theories. The first is that Silina decided that the "Progressives," whose rating will not drop due to the specifics of their electorate, would not be politically harmed by Sprud's dismissal. And she, Silina, needs to somehow show the voters of "New Unity" that she can make tough decisions.

The second theory is that Silina almost wants to push the "Progressives" out of the government to try to recreate a right-center government with the National Alliance and the United List before the elections, thereby seemingly increasing the chances of retaining power after the elections.

The third theory is that Silina knows perfectly well that there are no specialists in military affairs within the "Progressives," and there is hardly any time to search for a new minister—there are less than five months until the elections, and the situation in the defense sector is such that the industry cannot remain without a leader.

In any case, the candidate for the minister's position, Raivis Melnis, will still need to receive a mandate from the Saeima.

It should be noted that Colonel Raivis Melnis is an advisor to the Prime Minister and works as a representative of the Latvian Ministry of Defense at our embassy in Kyiv. Previously, he held the position of head of the Operational Planning Department of the Joint Staff of the National Armed Forces. Colonel R. Melnis has served in the armed forces since 1996. He received education both in Latvia and abroad, including a master's degree in international security and management from King's College London. Colonel R. Melnis was the commander of a mechanized infantry battalion and a joint Baltic battalion of the three Baltic states. He gained international service experience in Northwood, the UK, and in several international operations in Afghanistan.