Based on the results of the collection of signatures, amendments to the Notary Law shall not be transferable for the referendum of the people. A total of at least 154,241 signatures would have to be collected to have a referendum.
The collection of signatures took place from December 7, 2023, until January 5, 2024, and it is related to the fact that 34 Saeima deputies signed a submission to the President requesting that the publication of amendments to the Law adopted by the Saeima be suspended for two months.
The collection of signatures took place in person in the places determined by each municipal council in its territory.
A total of 312 signature collection sites were in operation, of which 277 were in Latvia, while 35 were in foreign countries.
As previously reported by LSM, on November 9 the Saeima approved a new partnership law by means of amendments to the Notary Law that would include provision for registered same-sex partnerships (and dual-sex partnerships) with legal status and protection for the first time. Amendments to the laws are expected to come into force on July 1, 2024.
The applicable legislation was passed thanks to the government's narrow majority in parliament but was preceded by stormy debates both within the chamber and in wider society. Reaction to the partnership law has varied from joy among civil rights groups to dismay among 'family values' traditionalists.
