The opposition failed to continue "disrupting the quorum" — at the last plenary session, the ruling party was in the majority. Among the deputies in the ruling coalition, only one was absent — Andris Vilks from the Union of Greens and Farmers.
Deputies Came to Work
Recall: about a week ago, opposition deputies, taking advantage of the fact that the ruling party was short of 6 deputies, pulled out electronic voting cards, resulting in a lack of quorum in parliament, with only 46 deputies present instead of the minimum required 50.
Thus, the opposition aimed to prevent the adoption of the new law "On Pollution."
By the way, this was already the second attempt by the opposition to block the adoption of this law, which is essentially imposed on us by Brussels — the draft law was prepared based on the EU directive regulating the operation of the emissions trading system (ETS) and the emissions trading system in the real estate, transport, and other sectors (ETS2).
The opposition believes that this draft law, prepared within the framework of the "green course," will have a devastating impact on the Latvian economy and will lead to an increase in fuel prices and more.
Nevertheless, yesterday, on the third attempt, the ruling party managed to ensure a quorum for the consideration of this draft law, and it was ultimately adopted. This will help avoid huge fines that Latvia would have faced from the EU for failing to implement the directive.
Will the Declaration Replace the Convention?
However, this event faded against the backdrop of the ongoing saga surrounding Latvia's exit from the notorious Istanbul Convention.
To avoid accusations of unwillingness to combat domestic violence, the authors of the draft law on Latvia's exit from this convention — deputies from the National Alliance and the United List — prepared an alternative or somewhat of a replacement for the Istanbul Convention. Namely, the "Declaration on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence."
The document also includes a mandate for the government to prepare a special law on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as on the responsibility for acts of violence.
Recall that there is currently an opposition draft law on Latvia's exit from the Istanbul Convention being considered in the Saeima's Foreign Affairs Committee. This initiative was supported by the ruling coalition's "Green Farmers." Notably, the "Green Farmers" also signed the Declaration, which appeared on the agenda of the Saeima's plenary session yesterday.
As expected, the staunch supporters of preserving the Istanbul Convention — deputies from the "Progressives" faction — opposed this document.
What is Our Life? A Game!
"Perhaps we have a serious situation. Here we are dealing with political amnesia in this parliament. Individual deputies submitted a declaration. So, I quote: 'Declaration on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.' And perhaps these deputies have forgotten that two years ago in this same Saeima hall, we voted in parliament and adopted the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention — note from 'TODAY') — practically with the same name and almost identical document," stated the head of the "Progressives" faction, Andris Šuvajev.
He continued: "Representatives of the National Alliance and the United List faction always care very much about Latvia's foreign policy. For me, it is more than obvious that if you decide to denounce the Istanbul Convention, Latvia's international reputation will ultimately suffer, and you will not be able to wash it clean with such draft laws.
In my opinion, the deputies of the Saeima are increasingly engaging in the leveling of policy. Seeing all this, I am not surprised by the low level of public trust in the Saeima. All of this has become a game, in which ultimately the least protected groups of society will suffer."
"And I understand that for some deputies, the reason for this is concern about the possibility of being re-elected next year. For another group of deputies, it is difficult to find other issues on the basis of which to try to divide our society. However, in my opinion, what is happening here does not reflect a state approach. This document that is being proposed to us does not reflect concern for the population. The only thing I see there is the concern of politicians for themselves. I urge the Saeima to reject it and not to consider it at any of the subsequent meetings," stated Andris Šuvajev.
In response, deputy Nauris Puntuļs (National Alliance) pointed out that the Declaration will indeed show the parliament's determination to combat any manifestations of domestic violence.
Make Up and Don't Fight Anymore
Meanwhile, "New Unity" is seeking a way to reconcile with the rebellious "Green Farmers."
Since the Declaration was related to the so-called permanent issue, due to objections from the "Progressives," the document could not be considered substantively at yesterday's meeting. In this regard, according to the Saeima's Rules of Procedure, deputies had to decide whether they were ready to consider the Declaration at the next plenary session.
Interestingly, only the "Progressives" voted against it. Deputies from "New Unity" unexpectedly supported the consideration of the document at the next meeting, even though they, together with the "Progressives," support the "preservation" of the Istanbul Convention in Latvia.
So why did the deputies from the ruling party act this way? Apparently, they wanted to send a signal primarily to the "Green Farmers" that they are ready for compromise. Namely: they support the adoption of the Declaration, and the "Green Farmers" will "in return" either not vote for Latvia's exit from the Istanbul Convention or do everything to ensure that this decision is not made before the Saeima approves the budget for 2026. Soon we will find out if this tactic works.
