The decision was supported by opposition deputies and members of one of the ruling coalition parties — the "Union of Greens and Farmers." However, this step may not be final if the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, decides not to sign the bill. He has ten days to make a decision, and he can return the law back to parliament.
Supporters of the withdrawal from the convention argue that the document divides society and that the fight against domestic violence can be conducted without international obligations.
Ahead of the vote, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Riga, gathering outside the parliament building to express their dissatisfaction with the decision to denounce the Istanbul Convention. Demonstrators accused the authorities of "copying Russia," as Moscow also did not sign this convention.
Latvia signed this document in 2016, and its ratification took place in 2024. The convention, adopted in 2011, has been signed by 39 countries.
