A total of 52 deputies from the opposition party and the coalition ZZS voted in favor of the urgency, 31 deputies from the"Progressive" and JV factions were against, while ZZS deputy Andris Bērziņš abstained from the vote. Thus, less than two-thirds of those present voted in favor of the urgency.

The draft law on withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention was submitted by the LPV. Initially, it did not even have an annotation or justification, which the LPV nevertheless provided within a couple of weeks. The LPV believes that the current practice of implementing the Istanbul Convention prevents us from gaining certainty whether state and local government institutions are implementing measures against violence and its risks in each case in accordance with the principles contained in the declaration.

In Latvia, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, or the so-called Istanbul Convention, entered into force on May 1 of last year.

It is an international treaty that requires its member states to develop coordinated policies to better protect women from all forms of violence, as well as women and men from domestic violence.

Among other things, member states must provide victims with comprehensive assistance and protection, crisis centers, a 24-hour crisis hotline, specialized support centers for victims of sexual violence, and protect and support children who witness violence.