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Viewing cable 06RIGA533, LATVIAN PRESIDENT VETOS CONTROVERSIAL LABOR LAW

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06RIGA533 2006-07-07 11:18 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Riga
VZCZCXRO1821
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHRA #0533/01 1881118
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071118Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3121
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000533 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EUN LG
SUBJECT: LATVIAN PRESIDENT VETOS CONTROVERSIAL LABOR LAW 
 
RIGA 00000533  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY.  Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga 
returned to the Saeima (parliament) a bill to amend the 
Labor Law, which did not include sexual orientation as one 
of the protected categories in employment. The language of 
the law appears to violate an EU directive that Latvia must 
incorporate into local law or face possible punitive action 
from the European Commission. As the October Saeima 
elections draw nearer, politicians are increasingly 
exploiting socially sensitive issues to draw voters' 
attention. It appears that Latvia's First Party (LPP), the 
most vociferous in the debate on this bill, has made 
opposition to gay rights its main campaign issue. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. On June 15, following a heated debate lasting more than 
one hour, the Saeima adopted a bill to amend the Labor Law 
in accordance with a commission directive on equal 
employment opportunity.  Parliament's social and labor 
affairs committee had prepared the amendments to the Labor 
Law in accordance with EU requirements, including the ban on 
discrimination against employees on the grounds on sexual 
orientation. However, at the insistence of Latvia's First 
Party, the specific mention of sexual orientation was 
deleted. Lawmaker Janis Smits, LPP parliamentary faction 
head and an ordained Baptist minister, declared from the 
Saeima rostrum that including the sexual orientation clause 
in the law would "open the gate for pedophilia, pederasty, 
zoophilia and other forms of perversion." 
 
3.  Several other lawmakers echoed this sentiment, and the 
final vote on deleting the specific reference to sexual 
orientation was 48 for and 19 against.  LPP was joined by 
Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK, Greens' and Farmers' Union, 
Harmony Center and a few independent lawmakers in stripping 
the provision.  New Era, the People's Party and some Harmony 
Center MPs voted against. Under the version of the 
legislation passed by parliament, equal treatment in 
employment should be provided for all residents banning any 
direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of "race, 
sex, age, disability, religious, political or other beliefs, 
national or social origin, material or family status or 
other circumstances." 
 
4. President Vike-Freiberga exercised her constitutional 
authority to return the bill to the Saeima.  In a letter to 
the Saeima speaker Ingrida Udre, the president explained her 
decision by the fact that an individual's right to 
employment cannot be tied with his or her private life, 
which is protected by the Constitution. Foreign Minister 
Artis Pabriks (People's Party) also condemned the amendments 
and said that in joining international organizations Latvia 
had assumed a number of obligations that it must fulfill. 
Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis (People's Party) criticized 
the lawmakers by saying that "civil rights must clearly be 
taken into account, and one cannot divide people by certain 
traits." 
 
5. The Saeima is expected to review the returned bill after 
the summer recess in September. Janis Smits, head of the LPP 
parliamentary faction, told embrep that his party would 
stand firm against including the sexual orientation 
provision in the law. He expressed confidence that the 
returned bill would not be altered and thus made into law. 
"Over 90% of the Latvian population opposes homosexuality, 
and we must listen to the people," he opined. Under Latvia's 
Constitution, if the lawmakers for a second time endorse the 
law in its current form, the president must promulgate it as 
a law.  We understand that if the final version does not 
accord with the commission directive, Latvia could face 
infringement procedures within the EU. 
 
6. COMMENT: The amendments to the Labor Law were the third 
bill that the president sent back to parliament as the 
spring session wound down, saying that all three were 
designed to drive Latvian society apart rather than bring it 
together. While we expect her to continue to use her moral 
authority on this bill, the President is at the limits of 
her constitutional powers if the Saeima refuses to make any 
changes. Since the Labor Law is expected to be reviewed 
shortly before the October 7 elections, it is again likely 
to fall prey to pre-election politicking. Moreover, it 
appears that LPP and its leaders, including party chair 
Ainars Slesers, have made a fight against gay rights a key 
element in their election campaign. LPP has also been vocal 
in opposing the gay pride parade planned to take place in 
Riga on July 22. LPP, which has been struggling in the 
opinion polls, may indeed score a few points by exploiting 
homophobic sentiments among the general public. Many people 
in Latvia are not yet prepared to embrace Western liberal 
values fully, and would wish to sweep the issue of 
homosexuality under the carpet. Their anti-gay sentiments 
may be reinforced by Soviet-era memories when sodomy was a 
criminal offense. Moreover, a surprisingly large number of 
 
RIGA 00000533  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
people in Latvia equate homosexuality with pedophilia.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
BAILEY