Banana Peel: Parties Blame Each Other for Dividing Society 0 9

The leader of the opposition 'United List' (UL), Edvards Smiltenš, whose party voted for the denunciation of the Istanbul Convention, thereby causing widespread public discontent — both in the form of signed petitions and protest actions — accused the 'Progressive' and 'New Unity' (NE) parties of dividing society in an interview on the LTV program 'Morning Panorama'.

The UL does not take responsibility for the division of society due to the decision to withdraw from the convention, claiming that the reason for this was the two ruling parties that reached an agreement to ratify the Istanbul Convention two years ago, rather than the actions of the opposition and the Union of Greens and Farmers this autumn.

According to Smiltenš, the UL understands that in the current security situation in Latvia, the country cannot afford a societal divide; therefore, the party is now ready to postpone the decision on the convention until the next parliamentary session, but would prefer to consider this issue in a referendum.

In turn, the Minister of Justice from the ruling coalition, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere (NE), in an interview with LTV, accused the opposition, including the UL, of causing the division, stating that they are behaving childishly and are unaware of the consequences of their actions.

According to the politician, this time the convention has become a 'banana peel' thrown by one of the opposition parties, which others stepped on and now 'have fallen into a heap'. In her opinion, the opposition has not realized the consequences of this 'childish and irresponsible game'.

Lībiņa-Egnere also emphasized that Latvia cannot afford a division in society, and it is the opposition that is currently responsible for it. However, she noted positively that the opposition has already recognized its mistake and expressed a willingness to put an end to this issue.

In response to the remark that an end will not be put, as the decision on the law to withdraw from the convention will only be postponed, the minister expressed the opinion that in the next elections to the Saeima, 'democratic Latvia, which respects human rights', will gain support, and forces that will ensure the preservation of the convention will enter the parliament.

When asked about the possibility of holding a referendum, Lībiņa-Egnere pointed out that voting cannot be organized specifically on the current bill, as it provides for withdrawal from the convention; therefore, the wording of the question in the referendum would be very complicated. Instead, she suggested that the activity of society on the 'Mana balss' platform, where people express support for various positions on the convention, should be taken into account for now.