Prime Minister Leaves Office

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Skele resigned after nine months in office, and political parties scrambled to stitch together the former Soviet republic’s ninth government in as many years. Skele stepped down after two of the three parties in his ruling coalition withdrew their support. The dissenting parties, Latvia’s Way and Fatherland and Freedom, said they want to form a new government that includes Skele’s centrist People’s Party--but they want a different leader. “Skele hasn’t learned enough about how to be truly democratic, to be one among equals,” said Fatherland and Freedom’s Juris Sinka.