Istanbul Convention: Saeima Decision Needed | Latvia News

Recommend an article:

The issue of denunciation of the Istanbul Convention was widely discussed both in Saeima committee meetings and in two readings in the plenary session, with the Saeima majority deciding on denunciation of the convention. Of course, the President has the constitutional right to return the draft law to the Saeima, but the call to postpone its examination to the next convocation of the Saeima is not an improvement of the draft law, but gives the parties the opportunity to avoid responsibility for the promises made in 2022. Also, we do not consider the assertion that the Saeima should follow the objections of the Cabinet of Ministers as a convincing argument. Latvia is a democratic country that respects the principle of power sharing. Each institution has its own function – the parliament makes decisions, while the Cabinet of Ministers executes them. The Cabinet of Ministers does not have a decision-making function, therefore the argument that the Parliament should have allowed the Cabinet of Ministers to influence its decision can be assessed as inconsistent with our democracy.

The real reason for postponing the decision to the next Saeima is fear. In recent weeks, the ruling parties have used all the resources of their administrative and NGO networks to carry out an unprecedented propaganda campaign to smear opponents of the Istanbul Convention, even involving public schools in protests. Instead of a qualitative discussion, the public received a one-sided flow of opinions about their taxes in the public media maintained. By giving in to such a campaign, the parties of the Saeima do not postpone consideration of the issue under better conditions after the 2026 elections, but tacitly agree that such propaganda is an acceptable form of political struggle for them, in which the conservatives must make concessions. It can be predicted that consideration of this issue will only become more complicated in the future – both due to the capitulation of the Saeima majority and the aggression encouraged by the left-liberal camp.

The Kremlin and its influence are often invoked in the context of the Istanbul Convention. At the moment, the majority of the Saeima has tacitly agreed to this thesis, backing away from the issue that they promised to defend just a few days ago, as if something bad was really hiding behind it. It is true that it is in the interests of the Kremlin to take advantage of public dissatisfaction with left-liberal policies by presenting itself as an apparent alternative. If there are no other alternatives to the Kremlin parties on conservative issues, then the conservatives are really starting to enter the Russian information space. Currently, the votes of the conservatives are rapidly flowing towards the party of Ainārs Shleser, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on the Latvian parties of the Saeima.

Therefore, “Rising Sun for Latvia” reiterates its position: withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention was one of the points included in the program of the party’s founders. We have defended this position reasonedly and respectfully – both on social media, on television, and in the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Saeima. We believe that this issue should have been considered and an appropriate decision made already in this Saeima, explaining to the public the position of the conservative parties and pointing out that the left-liberal propaganda campaign is unacceptable in a democratic society. If the issue of denouncing the Istanbul Convention is postponed to the next Saeima, then it is essential to have a party represented in it, which firmly adheres to its conservative program, regardless of the pressure of political opponents. The conservative part of the Latvian society can count on us – a national and conservative force that stands against both the interests of the Kremlin in Latvia and against left-liberal ideas that undermine the continuation of the family, the nation and the country.