Latvia's parliament voted to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women on Thursday, with lawmakers passing the motion by a parliamentary majority . Supporters said the treaty promotes "gender" theories, while opponents and several thousand protesters warned the move would weaken protections for victims; the law had been ratified in November 2024 and the president must now decide the next step . If finalised, the withdrawal would make Latvia the first European Union member to renounce the Council of Europe treaty, and the decision followed a lengthy, heated parliamentary debate .

Highlights:

• Treaty background: The Istanbul Convention is a Council of Europe treaty that sets standards to prevent and combat violence against women .
• Parliamentary debate: Lawmakers held a marathon, roughly 13‑hour debate on the motion before the withdrawal vote, signalling deep divisions in parliament .
• Coalition split: A conservative partner in the ruling coalition broke ranks to back withdrawal, acting in defiance of both the prime minister and the president .

Perspectives:

• Pro-withdrawal lawmakers: Supporters of the move say the treaty promotes 'gender' theories and therefore conflicts with their positions on gender issues. (Firstpost)
• Protesters and opponents: Several thousand people protested the vote, arguing that withdrawal would roll back protections for victims of violence. (BBC)
• Prime minister and president: Both the prime minister and the president opposed the withdrawal, and the parliamentary decision broke with the executive's stance. (The Straits Times)

Sources:

• Latvian parliament votes to withdraw from Istanbul Convention opposing violence against women - euronews.com
• Latvia's parliament votes to quit treaty on preventing violence against women - firstpost.com
• Latvian MPs vote to pull out of treaty on protecting women from violence - bbc.com
• Latvia votes to exit treaty opposing violence against women - dw.com
• Latvia's parliament votes to withdraw from treaty protecting women from violence - france24.com
• Latvian parliament votes to quit convention protecting women - straitstimes.com
• Latvian Parliament votes to withdraw from domestic violence treaty - abcnews.go.com
• Latvia’s parliament votes to quit global treaty protecting women - reddit.com
• EU state votes to ditch domestic violence treaty - rt.com
• The Latvian Saeima votes 56–32 to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. - reuters.com