Political scientist: Saeima's vote on two genders in constitution is pre-election positioning

Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, has voted to send to committee a proposed constitutional amendment put forward by the party "Latvia First" that would enshrine the existence of two genders. Political scientist Lelde Metla-Rozentāle told the LETA news agency that the vote should primarily be read as a pre-election maneuver, allowing parties to stake out positions on value-based issues.

According to Metla-Rozentāle, parties regularly deploy such topics — whether the Istanbul Convention or constitutional wording on gender — ahead of elections to help voters make up their minds. As an example, she noted that a candidate from the United List party had expressed tolerance on gender issues and support for the Istanbul Convention during pre-election debates, yet the party's vote on this amendment now shows it taking a consistently conservative stance.

The political scientist stressed that the vote does not by itself indicate the shape of a future coalition, since that will depend on the outcome of the elections. She also pointed out that, for instance, a coalition with Latvia First is not the National Alliance's first preference, and if forming a government with other parties proves possible after the elections, the National Alliance would pursue that option instead.

How the vote broke down

Forty-two lawmakers voted to refer the amendment to committee, including members of the United List, the National Alliance, the Union of Greens and Farmers, Latvia First, and current and former members of the "For Stability" faction. Twenty-five deputies from New Unity and Progressives voted against, while National Alliance MP Roberts Ķipurs abstained.

New Unity faction leader Edmunds Jurēvics strongly opposed the proposal, calling it unnecessary and arguing that the gender question is self-evident and does not belong in the constitution. He also invoked the coalition agreement, which states that constitutional amendments will not be advanced without unanimous coalition support.

The Latvia First proposal seeks to have the constitution state that only two genders exist and that marriage is a union between a man and a woman that cannot be equated with other legally recognized relationship forms. Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority across three readings.