Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has decided to put amendments passed by the Saeima on the 9th of November to the Notariate Law, which provide for the adoption of the partnership institute, for two months, according to the official entry in the Latvian Herald.
Last week the State President’s Chancellery received a letter signed by 34 Saeima deputies. In it, the president was asked to halt amendments to the Notariate Law for two months.
As previously reported, on the 9th of November the Saeima passed in the final reading the legislative draft prepared by Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere to adopt a new law institute – partnership – in mid-2024. This will provide residents a way to legalise and legally organise relationships,
same-sex couples included.
However, shortly after the reading, opposition parties announced having collected 34 signatures
to attempt to initiate a referendum
on amendments to the Notariate Law. This initiative was signed by members of the Combined List, Latvian in First Place and the National Alliance.
The Constitution of the Republic of Latvia provides for the right of at least 34 deputies to suspend the promulgation of legislative drafts for two months in order to try to receive the necessary support for the organisation of a referendum on this issue within one month in the collection of signatures organized by the Central Election Commission (CVK).
Once CVK has announced signature collection, it will be necessary to collect signatures of at least 155 000 voters in order to organise a referendum.
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