Next Saeima may shelve convention debate, but referendum needs constitutional change

Latvia’s next parliament could choose not to revisit whether the country should remain in the Istanbul Convention, while putting the question to voters would require amending the Constitution, LSM reports, citing constitutional law expert Edgars Pastars.

The 14th Saeima set November 1, 2026, as the deadline for submitting proposals on the convention, leaving the current parliament without time to consider them. The matter will therefore pass to the 15th Saeima, which could leave it off the agenda or bring it back for debate.

Last autumn, a parliamentary majority unexpectedly supported withdrawing from the convention, prompting more than 10,000 people to protest in Riga’s Old Town. Diplomats from several major European countries also voiced concern. More than 60,000 people signed an appeal on the ManaBalss.lv initiative platform urging President Edgars Rinkēvičs not to promulgate the withdrawal law.

Rinkēvičs returned the law to parliament for reconsideration and called for the decision to be left to the next Saeima. A consultative referendum would also require a constitutional amendment, Pastars said; in practice, its result would be binding.

The Istanbul Convention is the Council of Europe treaty on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Latvia ratified it in 2023, seven and a half years after signing it. Turkey is the only country to have withdrawn from the convention.