The proposal for the registration of same-sex partners was collected within a few months by the signatures of ten thousand citizens, which are necessary for the initiative to be submitted to the Saeima Commission for Mandates, Ethics and Submissions.
The authors of the initiative point out that the possibility of legally registering same-sex partnerships is a matter of equality in all EU Member States, while legal recognition for same-sex couples is currently offered by 47 countries, 27 of which are members of the Council of the European Union.
‘A civil marriage, a civil union or a registered partnership means the rights, responsibilities and guarantees provided by the State to a couple in a stable relationship. I believe that the Latvian government must not discriminate against same-sex couples and exclude them from the protection guaranteed to an officially recognized marriage between a man and a woman. [..] granting rights to same-sex couples does not deprive couples of different sexes who already enjoy these rights, ”says Raimonds Petrovics, who submitted the initiative.
Kristīne Garina, chairwoman of the board of LGBT and their friends’ association “Mozaika” representing the authors of the initiative at the Saeima commission meeting, reminded that already in 2018 the ombudsman pointed out that legal protection in the 21st century is necessary not only for bisexual couples, and the state must recognize that same-sex and bisexual families are equal.
Don’t want to waste time
Of course, Raivis Dzintars, the leader of the National Association working in the commission, opposed this initiative. He reminded that a similar initiative had already been rejected by the 12th Saeima. In his opinion, this is a sufficient reason for the 13th Saeima not to waste time on the new document.
“It simply came to our notice then. In our case, it is a political decision about the model of marriage we are. I absolutely stand for tolerance towards every person in Latvia, regardless of sexual orientation, at the same time there are some boundaries that should not be crossed, ”says R. Dzintars.
Normunds Žunna, representing the New Conservative Party, also does not support the initiative, appealing against the values and the decision of the 12th Saeima. “It simply came to our notice then. I am also about a family where a man and a woman form a family. By no means am I against the fact that we have same-sex couples living in same-sex relationships, but I do not see the need to re-examine this application, ”says N. Žunna.
Artūrs Rubiks, representing Saskaņu, does not support the initiative either, but he does not link the decisions of the 12th Saeima so closely with the work of this parliamentary term, moreover, he respects the will of the voter.
“I fully support what Raivis said. With both hands. On the other hand, it turns out that our voters, who elected us, want the Saeima to pass this test once again. On the one hand, I believe that it should be rejected, on the other hand, it should be seen, ”says the deputy.
Reality must be accepted
The fact that the 13th Saeima has not evaluated such a draft law is also indicated by “For Development / For!” representative Ilmārs Dūrītis. “The composition of the Saeima deputies is changing, the society is also changing. The conclusion that the Saeima has already considered a similar initiative and therefore it is not necessary to submit it to the commission is, in my opinion, unfounded, ”says I. Dūrītis. “We have important traditions, but same-sex couples have been around for a very long time, such families are and will be, it would only be logical to continue this discussion.” Moreover, the fact that this issue is very important for a part of the society is evidenced by the fact that this is not the first time that it has been on the agenda of the Saeima.
In the light of these arguments, a majority of the commission, opposed by representatives of the Greens and Farmers’ Union, the National Union and the New Conservative Party, decided that the commission would continue to work on the initiative. It is expected that experts of constitutional law will also be invited, who will have to assess the extent to which the initiative conflicts or does not conflict with Article 110 of the Satversme, which stipulates that “the state protects and supports marriage – union between man and woman, family, parents and the rights of the child ”.
Incitement to social hatred
The arguments of the representatives of the National Association also failed the assessment of the majority of the commission regarding the possible violation of the Code of Ethics of the Member of the Saeima by Jānis Iesalnieks. This was seen by the partner of the National Union in the coalition “For Development / For!”.
In his submission to the commission, the leader of the organization Daniels Pavļuts noted that on July 13 he noticed on the microblogging site “Twitter” that J. Iesalnieks shared a post with a text reference “LGBT-free zone”, which, according to politicians, is related to social hatred and causing disagreement with a certain social group – LGBT people in Latvia – and “seemingly points to violations of the Code of Ethics of Saeima Deputies”.
“In addition, it should be noted that the entry is similar in wording to the term used in the Second World War.”free of Jews ” jeb “Free from Jews”, which was used as a sign for the territories where Jews were deported or murdered, ”emphasizes D. Pavļuts.
Commenting on the joint entry, J. Iesalnieks points out that the reproduction of tweets does not automatically mean “100% consent”. The politician later asked the author of the tweet whether a more precise Latvianization, taking into account the context, would not be a “zone free of LGBT ideology”. “It simply came to our notice then. In Poland, too, where it seems to come from, it is the LGBT ideology, not the people, ”explains the deputy.
But pointing out that
“A person does not have to be the author of the disputed statements or other forms of hatred and the objective party to the criminal offense (Article 140 of the CC: incitement to social hatred and discord) may also express himself by disseminating statements of other persons aimed at inciting hatred,”
D. Pavluts stayed with him. It is also possible that “For Development / For!” for the offense of J. Iesalnieks by applying to law enforcement institutions.
Will be punished later
Ainars Latkovskis, representing the “New Unity”, and Jānis Vucāns, representing the ZZS, did not want to participate in the evaluation of this issue, but the majority of the commission admitted that a violation of the code of ethics was indeed at the disposal of J. Iesalnieks.
The deputies postponed the decision on the punishment of the representative of the National Association for it to another meeting of the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Commission.
According to the Code of Ethics of Saeima Deputies, a representative of the people may be punished for violating it by giving an oral or written warning, which is read at the Saeima sitting and published in the official publication Latvijas Vēstnesis, denying him participation in Saeima sitting debates or even excluding him from one to six Saeima sittings.
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