Latvia’s Parliament has voted to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a landmark European treaty aimed at protecting women from violence, following a marathon 13-hour debate that exposed deep political divisions within the ruling coalition.

The Council of Europe convention, which took effect in Latvia in 2024, requires member states to standardize measures to combat violence against women, including domestic abuse. However, conservative and far-right groups across Europe have opposed the treaty, claiming it promotes “gender ideology” and threatens traditional values.

Opposition lawmakers in Latvia launched the withdrawal initiative in September, backed by the Union of Greens and Farmers — a key member of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s three-party coalition government, which also includes center-right and center-left parties.

Siliņa, who campaigned in 2023 on ratifying the treaty, sharply criticized the decision. “Those who have been brave enough to seek help are now seeing their pain used for political battles. It is cruel,” she wrote on social platform X.

The alliance between government and opposition members on the issue has exposed growing cracks in Siliņa’s coalition ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections.

Human rights advocates warned that Latvia’s withdrawal could set a troubling precedent. “This decision not only endangers women and girls in Latvia, it emboldens anti-human rights movements across Europe and Central Asia,” said Tamar Dekanosidze of Equality Now, an international women’s rights organization.

On Wednesday night, about 5,000 people gathered outside Parliament in Riga to protest the withdrawal, while roughly 20 demonstrated in support on Thursday.

President Edgars Rinkēvičs is expected to review the decision. He may return the legislation to Parliament for reconsideration or, under certain conditions, call for a national referendum.