The Istanbul Convention: a political tool for Latvia’s upcoming parliamentary election

Protests in front of Latvia's parliament against the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. October 29th, 2025. Photo: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock

After 13 hours of discussion, the Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, voted last autumn to withdraw from Europe’s leading human rights treaty for preventing and combatting gender violence – the Istanbul Convention.

Immediately following what many Latvians described as a sudden and shocking decision, thousands of protesters poured into the streets of Riga to express their anger and frustration.

The opposition parties that spearheaded this vote included the National Alliance, For Stability! and Latvia First. Experts have noted that as the October 3rd election approaches, these parties are looking for issues, like the Istanbul Convention, that they can use to gain more seats in parliament.

“It’s quite literally just an election year, and one party has decided that it wants to pursue one of those sorts of divisive elements,” said Kate Kanasta, a political science PhD student at the University of Latvia. “And they definitely succeeded.”

What is the Istanbul Convention?

The Istanbul Convention, formally known as the Council of Europe Convention, created a legal framework to prevent and combat violence against women, including domestic violence. The treaty clearly defines terms, including violence against women, domestic violence, gender and gender-based violence. It is enforced by an independent organization called “The Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence”, which evaluates each country’s progress and publishes reports that describe how states are implementing the convention’s provisions.

A narrow majority of the Saiema voted to sign the Istanbul Convention in May 2024, joining 21 other European countries in a commitment to combat gender violence. The agreement was accompanied by a declaration that said the convention would be applied in line with the Latvian constitution.

Latvia has some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the European Union. Approximately 30 per cent of women have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15, according to official data. Physiological violence is the most common type of intimate partner violence, with 29 per cent of women experiencing it. At the same time, physical violence has been experienced by 15 per cent of women.

In Latvia, 18.8 women in every one million were victims of intentional homicide by family members or intimate partners — a rate that is four times higher than the EU average. (Flourish graphic by Sam Freeman)

Since the Istanbul Convention was created in 2014, 45 countries have signed the Council of Europe Convention. Latvia would be the second country to leave the convention, after Turkey, which withdrew from the convention in 2021.

Warping the narrative

The opposition parties of Latvia First, National Alliance, and For Stability! currently hold 33 seats out of 100. When these groups, along with the coalition-affiliated Union of Greens and Farmers, voted to leave the Istanbul Convention, they dismissed Latvia’s issue with gender-based violence in an effort to formulate a political platform opposing the parliamentary majority.

“Two years have passed since the adoption of the Istanbul Convention. And what exactly are the reduced violence rates as a result of the adoption of the Istanbul Convention? I don’t see it,” said Linda Liepiņa from Latvia First during discussions on October 30th last year. “What I see is how a foreign ideology is creeping into our everyday lives.”

Liepiņa also expressed regret for backing the ratification of the convention and expressed disapproval for what she called “gender benders”.

“Since they’re the opposition, they’re looking for ways to demonstrate to their voters’ activity, and they don’t have very much productive content to demonstrate,” said Evija Djatkovica, the deputy director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies Riga. “So they’re looking for some popular issues.”

Graph showing the current number of representatives from each party in the Saiema that was elected in October 2022. (Flourish graphic by Sam Freeman)

By claiming the Istanbul Convention is “too western” and against the family, the opposition parties have positioned themselves as pro-family values, appealing to one of the most important and widely held attitudes in Latvia.

According to International Scientific Publications, more than half of Latvians favour a marriage-based, traditional lifestyle. That number is even greater for people who are older, Russian-speaking, and living outside Latvia’s urban regions.

These cultural divisions are a byproduct of the country’s former occupation by the Soviet Union, which left it with a Russian-speaking minority.

For more than 20 years, the Latvian government has made efforts to create a unified Latvian national identity. It also has strongly backed Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression. However, some related issues are changing as the parliamentary election approaches. According to Madura Kanasta, a programme coordinator at the Marta Center, Latvia’s leading women’s organization, conservative parties are employing these divisions for political gain by claiming the convention is damaging. For transparency, it is worth noting that Madura Kanasta and Kate Kanasta are sisters.

Evija Djatkovica, the deputy director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies Riga and the head of the Belarus and East-Europe programme, says the opposition parties used the Istanbul Convention to establish a political platform that contrasts with moderate and progressive groups. (Medill Illinois News Bureau photo by Sam Freeman)

“This has always been the issue – that somehow the Istanbul Convention would damage the traditional values of family, of women and men as the basis of the family, all because of the word “gender”,” said Madura Kanasta.

The centre, established 25 years ago, began with a mission of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship skills. Now, it focuses on gender-based violence, working with adult victims by providing consultations and apartments for victims of domestic violence. It also works in policy advocacy. Representatives of the group were present at discussions on October 30th, the day the Saeima voted to leave the Istanbul Convention.

“We are hosting conferences, going to parliament, going to ministries, constantly participating in new regulations and laws,” said Madura Kanasta. “We are always there.”

Lingering Russian influence

One of Madura’s primary roles at the Marta Center is education and ensuring that youth and young adults have access to accurate, reliable information. This is because Russian media continues to influence people in Latvia, attempting to change public perception on issues ranging from the Ukraine-Russia war to the Istanbul Convention.

“It’s definitely also coming from Russia because they have used [media] for ages to influence the discourse that is in the region, how the world is changing, how the West is damaging, and so on,” Madura Kanasta said. 

According to Edgars Baldunčiks, the chief of staff for the centre-right New Unity party, Russian media is most effective in regions where there are Russian-speaking majorities, such as the city of Rēzekne. New Unity is the largest political party in Latvia and voted against withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention last autumn.

In the small city of Rēzekne near the Russian border, residents regularly see online opposition to the Istanbul Convention.

“We have here different organizations who are pushing this information against the Istanbul Convention. So it’s similar, like the information about war. The information from Russia is talking about these things, too,” said Diana Selecka, a lifelong resident of Rēzekne.

In this city, only 50 kilometres from the Russian border, nearly half of people identify as ethnically Russian and speak Russian as their primary language at home. Experts say that Russian speakers tend to hold more traditional values compared to ethnic Latvians and especially those living in Riga.

However, Selecka says even in Rēzekne, most every person, including herself, defends women’s rights in addition to traditional family values.

“I defend traditional family values but am not against the Istanbul Convention,” Selecka said.

According to the Marta Center, most Latvians support women’s rights from Riga to Rēzekne. Overall, they are simply exposed to different information spheres. Due to this, the Marta Center has expanded to regions outside of the capital and works to debunk claims by opposition parties that the Istanbul Convention is antithetical to family values.

Concern over other progressive policies

Progressives fear the Istanbul Convention may be the first of several progressive policies targeted by opposition parties trying to rally support ahead of the election. 

“They were testing the ground, and this was the [issue] that got momentum,” Madura said. “Probably till the election, something else will come up.”

Madura said she was most concerned about attacks on LGBTQ rights. Although gay marriage is not legal in Latvia, same-sex couples can register their partnership through a notary, providing legal, social and economic protections.

“LGBTQ issues are also always kind of positioned as anti-traditional and anti-family values,” Madura said. Many Latvians oppose LGBTQ relationships, viewing them as contrary to a traditional family based on marriage between a man and a woman.

Other issues that could be targeted include medical rights, a free press and funding for non-governmental organizations, she added.

In the several months leading up to the election, the Marta Center is planning to focus on mobilizing voters, especially in the younger, more progressive generation.

“A lot of youngsters are now active, it’s important not to lose their focus on the election because they have a significant voice,” Madura said. “We as a country want to work towards changing things.”

Sam Freeman is a graduate student at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, specializing in politics, policy and foreign affairs.

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Baltics, domestic violence, elections, Latvia, women rights