The Saeima Committee voted for the exit of Latvia from the Istanbul Convention for the third time. For now, only in the first reading.
Trying on the Opposition's Skin
Yesterday, at the meeting of the Saeima's Foreign Affairs Committee, a surreal picture could be observed: deputies from the ruling "New Unity" and "Progressives"... played the role of the opposition — pleading with the committee chair to extend the time to allow questions regarding the bill on Latvia's exit from the Istanbul Convention.
The deputies wanted to extend the time in order to try to delay the meeting again so that the committee would not have time to vote, as had already happened for two consecutive weeks.
Let us recall: the opposition in the Saeima, with the support of one of the ruling political forces — the Union of Greens and Farmers, managed to initiate the process of Latvia's exit from the Istanbul Convention. The remaining minority politicians from "New Unity" and the "Progressives" condemned their coalition partners in disgrace, nearly capsizing the government boat. The scandal surrounding the notorious convention flared up just before the consideration of the 2026 budget in the Saeima.
However, in the end, the ruling partners agreed that the "convention is not an obstacle to the budget." In other words — the ruling partners will still adopt the budget despite ideological disagreements regarding the Istanbul Convention. At the same time, of course, the "Progressives" and representatives of "New Unity" hoped that they would be able to skillfully delay the consideration of the bill on exiting the convention — at least until the adoption of the 2026 budget.
Istanbul-Moscow-Riga
To prolong the politics of these two ruling parties, ministers from "New Unity," state secretaries, parliamentary secretaries, and relevant experts were also brought into the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Committee, assuring that if Latvia exits the convention, i.e., denounces it, it would be the end of the world.
Other arguments were also thrown into the mix — namely, that it would damage Latvia's image on the international stage, and besides, perhaps behind the idea of exiting the convention stands... the "hand of Moscow." Yesterday, deputy Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica ("New Unity") again recalled the disinformation campaign unleashed by Russia, including that related to this convention. For you, the "hand of Moscow" is like the last "straw" to cling to when there are no other arguments.
The Gender Issue
It is worth noting that the main complaint of the Saeima opposition regarding the convention is the article about "socially constructed gender." Supporters of conservative values see this as an attempt to lobby the interests of the LGBT community.
In any case, in the Saeima's Foreign Affairs Committee, the deputies of "New Unity" and the "Progressives" are in the minority. And the result of yesterday's vote was predictable — the majority of committee members voted to support the bill on exiting the convention in the first reading. There are still two readings ahead, but there is practically no doubt that by the end of this year, the parliament will approve our country's exit from this agreement.
According to rumors, the "unification" of the right wing of the Saeima opposition with the "Green Farmers" on the issue of the Istanbul Convention may lead to a change in the ruling coalition and thus — the government of Siliņa as early as the beginning of next year.
