The Latvian Parliament voted on Thursday to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a treaty intended to support women who are victims of violence, after a prolonged 13-hour session characterised by intense debate. This Council of Europe treaty came into effect in Latvia in 2024 and aims to standardise the support provided to women facing violence, including domestic abuse.
However, far-right and ultra-conservative parties across Europe criticised the treaty on the grounds that it promotes “gender ideology,” encourages sexual experimentation, and poses threats to children.
The 2022 general elections revealed a significant shift in voter sentiment towards ultra-conservative and far-right political parties.
In September, a group of 32 opposition lawmakers initiated a process to withdraw Latvia from the treaty. The initiative was taken by the far-right Latvia First (LPV), led by Ainars Slesers, who has called on citizens to choose between a “natural family” and a “gender ideology with multiple sexes.” LPV, a minor party consisting of only eight lawmakers out of a total of 100 in the Saeima, is also recognised for its anti-vaccine stance and is affiliated with the far-right Patriots for Europe.
The initiative received additional support from the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS). This nationalist agrarian alliance forms part of the tripartite governing coalition, which also includes the centre-right New Unity (JV) party led by Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.
Furthermore, the anti-Istanbul Convention movement has garnered backing from two members of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)—the United List (AS) and the National Alliance (NA)—as well as the Russian minority party, For Stability (ST!). A total of 56 lawmakers voted in favour of the proposal to withdraw.
Prime Minister Siliņa, whose coalition government assumed office in 2023 with the commitment to ratify the convention, has expressed opposition to the efforts to withdraw from the treaty. “Those who have been brave enough to seek help are now witnessing their experiences being used for political battles,” Siliņa remarked on the social platform X in October. “This is a cruel situation.” The partnership between the opposition and certain governing lawmakers in support of withdrawal reveals divisions within the governing coalition, as the next parliamentary elections are scheduled for fall 2026.
Approximately 5,000 individuals protested outside Parliament in Riga on Wednesday night against the withdrawal, according to the Baltic News Service, while around 20 people demonstrated in favour of the action on Thursday.
Following the vote in Parliament, President Edgars Rinkēvičs is expected to review the law. If approved, Latvia would become the first EU country to withdraw from the treaty designed to combat violence against women. The president also has several options at his disposal, including the possibility of returning the law to Parliament for further consideration or, under specific circumstances, initiating a referendum.
“This decision not only endangers women and girls in Latvia, it emboldens anti-human rights movements across Europe and Central Asia, and supports authoritarian tendencies of governments moving away from the rule of law, international justice and democratic values,” Tamar Dekanosidze from international women’s rights organisation Equality Now said in response to the vote, as The Associated Press reports.
