Economic problems and corruption charges caused the popularity of Godmanis 's government to plummet . In January 2009 , anti-government protests turned into the worst riots the country has seen since re-gaining independence in 1991 . On 20 February 2009 , Godmanis resigned as Prime Minister along with the rest of his government over concerns about handling the economic crisis . On 26 February 2009 , President Valdis Zatlers appointed former finance minister Valdis Dombrovskis as the new prime minister ; he was sworn in on 12 March 2009
worst riots
2009 Riga riot
Ivars Godmanis