On October 30, the Latvian parliament approved a law to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention - the Council of Europe treaty on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Latvia ratified this document very recently - in 2023, seven and a half years after its signing.
The decision, made after fierce debates, caused a wide public response and criticism from European partners. On the eve of the vote in the Seimas (Latvian parliament), one of the largest demonstrations in Latvia in recent years against withdrawing from the convention took place. About 5,000 people participated in it.
The document has now been sent to President Edgars Rinkėvičs, who must decide whether to sign the law or return it for reconsideration in the Seimas. Some MPs made no secret of the fact that by voting for this law they want to overthrow the current government. This could lead to a new political crisis in the country.
What were the motives of the Seimas leaders?
The debates lasted more than 12 hours. The decision was supported by 56 MPs, mainly from the ruling coalition Union of Greens and Farmers and from opposition parties, including "Latvia First", National Unity and "Stability". 32 MPs were against.
The formal reason is that, according to supporters of withdrawing from the convention, its text "undermines traditional family roles". The issue, similar to the discussion on the same topic in Bulgaria, is the concepts of "gender" and "gender identity" mentioned in the document. According to opponents of the convention in Latvia, these concepts "imposed ideology" through schools and state policy. Earlier, the parliament, with the votes of opponents of the Istanbul Convention, adopted a national declaration "On the prevention and eradication of violence against women and domestic violence". Many of them insist that the existing law in Latvia provides sufficient protection for women's rights.
Not with Russia, but with Donald Trump
Linda Liepina from the opposition party "Latvia First" accused the opponents of "masochistically looking east" and suggested "turning heads" towards the main ally, the United States. She explained that her party supports the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention mainly in connection with the policies of Donald Trump, who has declared himself against "woke culture", genderism and uncontrolled migration flows. "In this situation, the issue looks completely different, in a different light."
Demonstrators at the massive protest in Riga against the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention carried banners with the inscriptions "Latvia is not Russia. If you love, you don't hit". The protesters accused the Latvian authorities of "copying Russia", since Moscow has not signed the 2011 convention developed by the Council of Europe. In Europe, the convention has been signed, but has not yet been ratified by Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia and Armenia.
Latvia on the brink of a new political crisis?
The MPs who defend Latvia's stay in the convention warned that the refusal of the document could leave women without protection. MP Agita Zarina-Sture shared her personal story of domestic violence, saying that her mother was forced to wear sunglasses all the time because of the violence her father inflicted on her. MP Antonina Nenasheva called for "to choose the side of Europe, not Eastern propaganda", and MP Davis Daugavietis accused supporters of leaving the convention of ignoring the protests in Latvia.
During the vote, MPs from the Greens and Farmers' Union violated their coalition obligations by distancing themselves from the other parties in the ruling coalition. The opposition even stated that "the government has de facto collapsed".
Is the decision final and what happens next
The document is already on President Edgars Rinkėvičs' desk. He has two options to temporarily block it. The president can return the law to parliament, but only once. If the law is re-adopted, the head of state will be obliged to sign it.
In addition, the deputies from the ruling party proposed holding a referendum - in this case, the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention could be suspended for two months. But here the legislators may face a legal conflict, since according to the Constitution, international treaties are not subject to referendum. However, as the local media outlet "Delfi" writes, the bill on denouncing the international treaty may be submitted to a referendum.
Supporters of the Istanbul Convention can also appeal to the Constitutional Court of Latvia. The parties of the ruling coalition that voted to preserve the convention have expressed their support for such an initiative. After the appeal is filed, the court must decide whether to initiate proceedings. This could set a precedent: so far, the Constitutional Court has not considered a single issue of denunciation of a signed international treaty.
Author: Evgeniy Djuk