(MENAFN) Latvia's parliament has voted to withdraw from an international agreement focused on preventing violence against women. Following the decision made on Thursday in the Saeima, the country's president, Edgars Rinkevics, is expected to evaluate the contentious legislation.

The Council of Europe Convention, commonly referred to as the Istanbul Convention, recognizes violence against women as a fundamental human rights violation.

The treaty, which has been signed by numerous Council of Europe member states, aims to harmonize the domestic laws of its signatories in order to tackle various forms of gender-based violence.

Initially opened for signing in Istanbul in 2011, the convention entered into force three years later.

Latvia’s parliament voted 56 to 44 in favor of withdrawing from the treaty after the Greens and Farmers Union, one of the three parties in the ruling coalition, broke ranks with Prime Minister Evika Silina and supported the opposition’s proposal. Lawmakers backing the exit argue that the treaty introduces a definition of gender that extends beyond biological sex, portraying it as a social construct.

They maintain that Latvia's current national laws are adequate to address gender-based violence.

Following the vote, President Rinkevics has several possible courses of action, such as returning the legislation to parliament for further review or calling for a national referendum.

If the withdrawal is finalized, Latvia will become the first European Union member state to leave the Istanbul Convention, which was implemented in the country less than a year ago, and the second nation after Türkiye, which exited in 2021.

In response to the vote, approximately 5,000 individuals gathered outside the Saeima in Riga on Wednesday evening to protest the potential withdrawal from the treaty, as reported by state media.

Prime Minister Silina spoke to the demonstrators, expressing her support for staying in the treaty.

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