Latvia’s parliament voted on 31 October 2025 to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention – the Council of Europe treaty combatting violence against women and domestic violence – with 56 votes in favour, 32 against, and two abstentions. Lawmakers supporting withdrawal claimed the convention promotes “radical feminism” and “gender ideology”.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs has now sent the withdrawal law back to parliament for reconsideration, saying it sends a “contradictory message” about Latvia’s commitment to international obligations and would make the country the first EU member state to withdraw from a human rights treaty. He suggested that the next parliament, to be elected in 2026, should decide on the issue instead. While the president cannot overturn the decision, his intervention delays its implementation and puts renewed pressure on lawmakers to rethink the withdrawal.
SOURCE: Latvia’s president sends law withdrawing from Istanbul Convention back to Saeima. Euronews. 3 November 2025.