The Latvian parliament has voted to withdraw from an international accord aimed at protecting women from violence after a long and intense debate.
Thousands of people protested against the vote, and now the decision is in President Edgars Rinkevics' court.
Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 treaty only came into force in Latvia last year, requiring governments to develop laws and support services to end all violence.
Latvia is the first EU country to make such a move. Turkey withdrew in 2021, a move described as a huge setback by top human rights body the Council of Europe.
The treaty was ratified by the EU in 2023; however, ultra-conservative groups have argued that the accord's focus on gender equality undermines family values and promotes "gender ideology".
After a 13-hour debate in the Saeima, Latvian MPs voted by 56 to 32 to withdraw from the treaty, in a move sponsored by opposition parties but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition parties, the Union of Greens and Farmers.
The result is a setback for centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this week. "We will not give up, we will fight so that violence does not win," she told them.
One of the main political groups behind the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose leader Ainars Slesers has called on Latvians to choose between a "natural family" and a "gender ideology with multiple sexes".
Twenty-two thousand people have signed a Latvian petition not to drop the treaty. Women's rights group Centrs Marta has called a protest next Thursday, accusing MPs of not listening to the Latvian people.
As the vote did not win a two-thirds majority, it means the president could return the bill for another reading if he has objections.
