The collection of signatures started on March 9, and at least 10,537 people have signed it during this time.
The interviewed politicians have expressed skepticism about the possibility of gaining support for this initiative in the Saeima. For example, the political party “KPV LV” has indicated that this issue should be decided in a referendum. In turn, the New Conservative Party (JKP) expressed skepticism, recalling the initiative rejected in 2019 on the implementation of the Cohabitation Law.
The initiative emphasizes that the possibility to legally register same-sex partnerships is a matter of equality in all European Union member states, including Latvia. Currently, 47 countries offer legal recognition to same-sex couples, 27 of which are members of the European Union (EU) Council. The first country in the world to allow same-sex couples to form a civil union was Denmark, which decided in 1989.
The author of the initiative Raimonds Petrovics previously reminded that in discussions about same-sex marriage, the sharpest disagreements are usually caused by notions about what marriage is, but often in the discussions in Latvia, deep-rooted homophobia and discrimination against lesbians and gays from the USSR are often revealed.
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“Basically, this is a matter of equality before the law. A civil marriage, civil union or registered partnership means the rights, responsibilities and guarantees that the state provides to a couple in a stable relationship,” Petrovics said, saying the Latvian government should not discriminate against same-sex couples. and to exclude them from the protection guaranteed to an officially recognized marriage between a man and a woman.
A similar initiative has already been submitted to the Saeima, but it was rejected.
