does not recognize same-sex unions, either in the form of partnership or marriage. The Latvian Constitution prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriages.
Partnership
On 23 September 1999, the Latvian National Human Rights Office presented a registered partnership bill to the Saeima. On 28 September 1999, the proposal was sent to the Human Rights and Public Affairs Commission of the Saeima for discussion. On 30 November 1999, the commission rejected the bill. In January 2012, the Ombudsman's Office recommended that the Parliament not introduce same-sex registered partnerships. However, after Baltic Pride in June 2012, it was revealed that the Ministry of Justice was considering whether to recognise same-sex partnerships, either through unregistered cohabitation or registered partnership. Defence Minister Artis Pabriks indicated his support for registered partnerships. Mozaika, Latvia's largest gay rights organisation, predicted that it would take approximately five years to obtain enough political support to pass the bill. In November 2014, while commenting on the coming out of Minister for Foreign AffairsEdgars Rinkēvičs and on his call for recognition of same-sex relationships, Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma reaffirmed her support for the constitutional prohibition on same-sex marriage. She also admitted that "Latvian law has not yet resolved the question of partner-relationships", explaining that non-recognition of unmarried couples affects many in Latvia regardless of sexual orientation and that protection of such families needs to be discussed by both the community and the Saeima. On 30 January 2015, Veiko Spolītis, an MP from the New Unity party, submitted a bill to modify the Civil Code to legalise recognised partnerships. The proposed law would have allowed "any two persons" to register their partnership and have almost the same rights and obligations as married couples. The proposal was rejected by the Legal Affairs Committee on 24 February 2015. On 23 March 2015, For Latvia's Development chairperson, Juris Pūce, launched a signature collection campaign on for the adoption of a cohabitation law in Latvia. The draft bill stated that the registration of couples' cohabitations would secure equal rights to all members of society, regardless of gender. The signatures were submitted to the Saeima in January 2018. In March 2018, the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee recommended that the initiative be rejected by the Saeima. 5 out of the 9 deputies voted to recommend rejection, while others wanted further consideration. In October 2018, the Ombudsman called on lawmakers to pass a partnership law for both opposite-sex and same-sex couples, citing statistics that showed that about half of Latvian children are born out of wedlock, and that these families should enjoy legal protections and rights. On 20 June 2019, Saeima MPs voted against sending the bill to further discussion and review in parliamentary commissions. Only 23 members voted for the bill, 60 voted against it and one member abstained, with support coming from Development/For! and New Unity, plus some Social Democratic Party "Harmony" members. The Social Democratic Party "Harmony", Who Owns the State?, the New Conservative Party, the National Alliance "All For Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" and the Union of Greens and Farmers as well as several independents were opposed. Supporters of the bill have said that they will persevere and try to persuade deputies to discuss it again in the future.
In December 2005, the Saeima voted 65-5 to approve an amendment to the Constitution, banning same-sex marriage. The amendment took effect on 17 January 2006. Article 110 reads: "The State shall protect and support marriage — a union between a man and a woman, the family, the rights of parents and rights of the child".
Legal challenges
On 27 May 2016, the Constitutional Court of Latvia overturned an administrative court decision to refuse an application to register a same-sex marriage in the country. A Supreme Court press spokeswoman said that the court agrees with the administrative court that current regulations do not allow for same-sex marriages to be legally performed in Latvia. However, the matter should have been considered in a context not of marriage, but of registering familial partnership. Furthermore, it would have been impossible to conclude whether the applicants' rights weren't violated unless their claim is accepted and reviewed in a proper manner. The Supreme Court will now decide whether the refusal was in breach of the Latvian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
On 5 June 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that European Union member states must recognise the freedom of movement and residency rights of same-sex spouses, provided one partner is an EU citizen. The Court ruled that EU member states may choose whether or not to allow same-sex marriage, but they cannot obstruct the freedom of residence of an EU citizen and their spouse. Furthermore, the Court ruled that the term "spouse" is gender-neutral, and that it does not necessarily imply a person of the opposite sex. The Latvian Government and the Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvaldē follow and abide by this directive. At least one same-sex couple, as of June 2018, had received a residency permit for the non-Latvian partner. The couple in question married in Portugal.
Public opinion
The 2015 Eurobarometer found that 19% of Latvians supported same-sex marriage. The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 24% of Latvians thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, 70% were against.
