On 3 November, President Edgars Rinkēvičs, acting in accordance with Article 71 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, signed and submitted to the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa a request for the reconsideration of the Law “On withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence” (hereinafter – the Law), adopted by the Saeima on 30 October of this year.
In his letter to the Speaker of the Saeima, President Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed the view that, after the adoption of this Law in the final reading, essential questions remain unanswered and should therefore be reconsidered by the legislator. Consequently, the President deems it necessary to reconsider the Law.
“There is no doubt that it is within the competence of the Saeima to decide on Latvia’s withdrawal from an international treaty ratified by the Parliament. Nor is there any doubt that a legitimate necessity may arise to withdraw from an international treaty. However, serious concern is raised by the contradiction between the legislature and the executive in a matter where the legislature has clearly delegated significant competence to the executive, yet has failed to provide a proper evaluation of the executive’s position expressed within that delegated competence. In a system based on the separation of powers, dialogue and cooperation between the branches of government are essential in the pursuit of shared national objectives,” the President states in his letter.
“The ratification and denunciation of the Convention within one Saeima term sends a contradictory message to both Latvian society and Latvia’s international allies about the country’s readiness to fulfil its international obligations in good faith. Such uncertainty and unpredictability of the state’s actions are not appropriate in the European legal space,” emphasizes President E. Rinkēvičs.
In his letter, the President draws attention to the fact that Latvia’s decision to withdraw from a Council of Europe convention that ensures the protection of human rights is an unprecedented case in the European legal space. Such a precedent goes far beyond the scope of Latvia’s domestic legal policy issues and could undermine the common European rule of law architecture.
"It should also be taken into account that Latvia would be the first European Union member state to withdraw from an international human rights treaty. It should be seriously assessed whether such action is compatible with the principle of loyal cooperation enshrined in the Treaty on European Union and the obligation of the European Union member states to assist each other in carrying out tasks to achieve the objectives of the European Union, including equality between women and men referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, with genuine mutual respect," emphasizes the President of Latvia.
In the view of the President of Latvia, the decision of the Saeima to withdraw from the Convention before the deadline it had itself established sends an equally contradictory message. According to the Declaration on the prevention and elimination of violence against women and domestic violence adopted by the Saeima on 9 October 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers was tasked with developing a comprehensive “Law on the prevention and elimination of violence against women, children, domestic violence, and violence in general” by a specified date. Consequently, this premature withdrawal creates a dangerous gap in the comprehensive legal framework aimed at eradicating violence against women and domestic violence. It also contradicts the publicly stated argument that Latvia’s national legislation fully ensures the prevention and combating of violence against women and domestic violence.
This legal vacuum, the period between the cessation of the international treaty’s material and procedural instruments against violence and the eventual adoption of an equivalent national framework, would result in an unacceptable degree of legal uncertainty.
“There is no dispute that the Saeima, under certain conditions and after appropriate preparatory work, has the right to decide on withdrawal from an international treaty in accordance with due procedure. Unfortunately, it must be concluded that the necessary preparatory work has not been carried out to justify such withdrawal properly,” stated the letter of the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs to the Speaker of the Saeima.
Taking into account the arguments expressed in the request for a reconsideration of the law, the President of Latvia calls for the decision on this matter be deferred to the next Saeima.
