Latvian President says he'll think about Istanbul Convention exit law

Writing on his official website and on social media, Rinkēvičs issued brief but identical statements saying: "In accordance with the Constitution, I will assess the law adopted by the Saeima 'On withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence,' taking into account state and legal, rather than ideological or political, considerations." 

He gave no indication of how long his ruminations are likely to take, nor if he had already familiarised himself with the law before it landed on his desk, but did follow it up a few minutes later with a poetic post celebrating the 190th birthday of famed Latvian folklorist Krišjānis Barons.

Meanwhile, the Marta Centre, an organization which helps victims of domestic violence, and other NGOs, said they had written an open letter to Rinkēvičs (below), calling for him to return the law to the Saeima for reconsideration – which he is entitled to do under the terms of Latvia's constitution. The letter says that the bill was considered hastily and that a proper discussion with the public, experts, and involved parties did not take place. It also says it risks serious damage to Latvia's international reputation, with international headlines on Friday morning suggesting that claim has some validity.

Subsequently, Marta Centre and the "Protests" NGO said they have already collected 2,000 signatures of prominent people in Latvian society calling on President Edgars Rinkēvičs to resubmit the draft law for another reading in the Saeima.

Signatories include the highly respected first chairman of the Latvian People's Front, Dainis Īvāns, public activist and former member of the Supreme Council of Latvia, Velta Čebotarenoka, actors such as Vilis Daudziņš, Zane Daudziņa, Ilze Ķuzule-Skrastiņa, Kaspars Gods, Inga Ungure, Jānis Kronis and others, Oscar-winning film director Matīss Kaža, Uģis Olte, Elmārs Seņkovs, musicians Ralfs Eilands, Aija Andrejeva-Aišpure, Jēkabs Nīmanis, Juris Simanovičs, Marta Grigale and others, writers Inese Zandere, Ieva Melgalve, Inga Gaile, Ervīns Varde, Jānis Joņevs and others, plus media personalities Baiba Sipeniece-Gavare, Toms Grēviņš, Toms Putniņš, Eva Johansone, Kaspars Breidaks, Dāvis Eņģelis, entrepreneurs Lotte Tisenkopf-Iltnere, Gatis Zēmanis, Anna Andersone and more.

As previously reported, on October 30th, a majority of Saeima deputies voted for Latvia to leave the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention and Suppression of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.

After a marathon day of debates lasting more than 13 hours deputies voted to quit the international treaty by 56 votes to 32, with 2 abstentions. The decision has proven to be highly controversial both domestically and internationally.

Though the Saeima has expressed its will, it may not be the end of the line – if President Rinkēvičs decides he is willing to get involved.

In order for the bill on exiting the Istanbul Convention to come into force, it must be signed (promulgated) by the President. He must make a decision within 10 days.

The President has the power to refer the law back to the Parliament for another reading, provided he can give reasons why he feels the legislation is not satisfactory as it stands. If this happens, the Saeima is obliged to refer the President's motivated objections to the responsible committee and decide on a date for reviewing the law again.

During this additional reading, parliament considers only the objections of the President of the Republic and proposals related to the objections expressed by him.

If the Saeima does not amend the law, the President of the Republic cannot raise objections again.

However, the Constitution provides that the President of the Republic may suspend the publication of a law adopted by the Saeima for two months, though this is an extremely rare occurrence. The President may also be requested to do so by no less than one-third, or at least 34, of the Saeima members – more than the 32 who opposed the exit legislation. But in these cases serious constitutional moves are triggered that set the President and Saeima on a collision course.

LSM's Latvian language service reported Friday on rumours in the corridors of the parliament that if Rinkēvičs returns the law to the Saeima for reconsideration, certain parties could announce that they will not support his candidacy for a second term as President in the future. To what degree Rinkēvičs craves a second term and is susceptible to such pressure remains to be seen.

It should be noted here that the next president will be decided by the Saeima elected this fall, not the current term.

If the President of Latvia suspends the publication of the law, the Central Election Commission must begin collecting signatures to initiate a referendum on the repeal of the law. The collection of signatures lasts 30 days, and in order to hold a referendum, at least one tenth of the number of citizens eligible to vote in the last Saeima election must sign. In this case, this would be more than 154 thousand citizens – probably a tall order given that an ongoing signature collection drive on the Manabalss.lv civic platform has collected 22,000 signatures from people who want Latvia to remain within the Istanbul Convention framework.

In addition to these instruments, there is the possibility of appealing to the Constitutional Court and the Progressives and New Unity parties have already expressed their support for such an option if necessary. But the whip hand remains with the 56 Saeima deputies who voted to leave the Convention unless the President is prepared to take them on directly and put his presidency on the line.