President Edgars Rinkēvičs refrained from commenting on the processes surrounding the Istanbul Convention in the Saeima but called on deputies for a rational discussion.
On Wednesday, after a meeting with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, the president told reporters that he would wait for the Saeima's decision on the issue of denouncing the Istanbul Convention before giving his assessment of the bill.
The president reminded that he had already expressed his opinion on the Istanbul Convention earlier. He expressed hope that the discussion in the Saeima would be rational and that the deputies would take into account the international, foreign policy, and legal aspects of preventing violence.
"If the Saeima votes for the bill and it ends up on my desk, I will assess it in accordance with the Constitution and make a decision," Rinkēvičs stated, adding that he would not participate in the discussion of the processes currently taking place in the Saeima regarding the convention.
The Prime Minister, for her part, emphasized that political debates about the Istanbul Convention should not affect the rights of victims of violence and the assistance available to them.
She stressed that the issue of the Istanbul Convention and related initiatives is always on the government's agenda. Domestic violence and violence against women are unacceptable, and the government will continue its work to support those in need of state assistance.
She acknowledged that an election atmosphere is already felt in the Saeima; however, political discussions, which sometimes turn into "political theater," should not affect the people relying on state protection.
As reported, the Saeima's Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday conceptually supported the proposal for Latvia to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, forwarding it for consideration at the parliamentary meeting on October 23.
At the end of September, the Saeima forwarded the opposition's proposal to denounce the convention to the Foreign Affairs Committee for consideration. Along with the opposition, deputies from the coalition's Union of Greens and Farmers also voted for this proposal, leading to instability in the ruling coalition, as the other partners viewed it as a violation of the coalition agreement.
