Saeima deputy Oļegs Burovs announced on Thursday, the 9th of November, that he decided to skip the parliament’s votes on the legislative draft concerning the partnership institute. This, he said, was his reaction to the absence of several coalition faction deputies in votes related to the legislative draft.
Burovs stressed that he provides support to the ruling coalition as its 53rd member –
not as a holder of a decisive vote in related topics.
The politician said not all 53 deputies [supporting the government] participated in votes for the future of the Istanbul Convention. If coalition representatives permit certain members to not participate in votes, then Burovs is not required to vote for important topics like that as a decisive voter, said the leader of Honour to Serve Riga.
Burovs told LETA that he is prepared to work as the 53rd member of the coalition, but if some coalition members are allowed to not vote, then his vote will not be decisive in important decision-making votes.
Publicly available information about today’s vote in relation to the Istanbul Convention’s future in Latvia indicates that New Unity member Andrejs Ceļapīters and Union of Greens and Farmers Saeima member Augusts Brigmanis did not participate in the vote.
Burovs said that the board of his party – Honour to Serve Riga – had previously decided they would not object to Burovs making his own decision regarding the vote in the Saeima on “the adoption of registered partnership” as long as it does not impact the Constitution or adopt any changes to the definition of marriage.
In its statement, Honour to Serve Riga stress that
they are a Christian party and they stand in favour of protecting families in accordance with the Constitution.
The party does not object to Burovs making an arbitrary decision to vote for the Istanbul Convention. Th board of the party stresses that the term “social justice” included in the convention “cannot be used to introduce some perspective on gender (man and woman)”.
Honour to Serve Riga stresses that “social gender” is not listed in Latvia’s legislation and education system and cannot be used to introduce some new interpretation of the norms and values listed in the Constitution: “Otherwise Honour to Serve Riga will demand a de-ratification of this convention.”
On the 9th of November the Saeima submitted to the commissions a draft law providing for the ratification of the so-called Istanbul Convention or the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The Saeima will also continue discussions of the legislative draft on the partnership institute.
Also read: Head of Saeima committee compares banks in Latvia to a cartel
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