In local elections throughout Estonia may lose their vote of 140 thousand, according to Narva – a third of the population
On Wednesday, March 26, the Estonian parliament held a historical vote: 93 voices against the seven were an amendment to the Constitution, depriving citizens of third countries of voting rights in local elections. At the same time, in the event of the proclamation of the law by the president, the owners of “gray passports” (stateless persons) will vote in the municipal elections this year for the last time.
On March 26, Riigikogu made a historical decision by changing the Constitution of Estonia and depriving the right to vote in local elections of citizens of third countries and stateless persons. 93 deputies voted for the reform, against – only 7. However, behind the scenes of this triumph of a wide coalition, a fierce discussion unfolded, which exposed a deep split in society. Five parliamentary factions-Eesti 200, the Party of Reforms, Ekre, ISAMAA and Social Democrats, spoke at once for the bill. They were also joined by deputies who are not related to any fraction.
The discussion of fateful reform, which deprived the right of a vote of about 140 thousand people, the people’s deputies took a little less than two hours. Opponents of the reform (the Center Party faction and many public figures) indicate that it was carried out through the parliament under far -fetched pretexts of protecting statehood. The fact that the reform actually pursues political goals – to influence the results of local elections in the fall of this year was also confirmed by policies of a wide coalition.
On the eve of the vote, Social Democrat Yevgeny Osinovsky, holding the post of mayor of Tallinn, said that he did not support amendments to the Constitution. “I believe that this weakens Estonian society and rather poses a threat to security than reduces them,” he added.
“Life will show. I am of the opinion that in politics – both for politics and for the party – the main currency is trust. In order for what is said and promised is really fulfilled. Of course, in certain situations, compromises in politics are inevitable, but, of course, those political forces and politicians that change their positions are randomly, depending on the conjuncture, form a certain image for themselves, ”Osinovsky believes.
“The Estonian Russian is offended, sincerely offended. The country is divided in two: you Estonians, and we, Russians, whom the Estonians do not trust.
However, on the day of voting in the hall of the parliament meetings, rather pathos speeches sounded. Supporters of the reform insisted on its necessity in the conditions of war in Ukraine and hybrid threats from Russia. Ando Kivima from Eesti 200 compared the voting day since August 20, 1991, when Estonia gained independence: « Changing the constitution we are taking a decisive step towards the liberation of Estonia from the colonial heritage of the Soviet occupation. »
Helir Valdor Ceer from ISAMAA emphasized the sovereign right of the state: « This is a matter of state sovereignty, this is a sovereign decision that the state makes. »
Urmas Reinsalu called for discarding political passions and emotions: “If we do not take this decision now, which in the long run meets the interests of Estonia’s security and our national interests, then we will never accept it.”
Political redistribution
The most direct results of changes in the Constitution are political. For example, about 26,000 Estonia citizens, about 18,000 citizens of Russia and 68 citizens of Belarus live in Narva. People with “gray passports”, that is, with indefinite citizenship, about 6500. It turns out that 35% of the city’s population will immediately lose the right to vote in local elections.
The mayor of Narva Katri Raik notes that, in combination with and so low (in the last election, it amounted to only 46.6%) the representation of the Narvityans in the local elections will become ridiculously low. “Even if the Narvites after this decision of the Riigikogu will not boycott the elections, the turnout in these elections will probably be from 25 to 30%. This is quite depressing, because in this case the city assembly will represent a third or even only a quarter of the townspeople. The Estonian Russian is offended, sincerely offended. The country is divided in two: you Estonians, and we, Russians, whom the Estonians do not trust. I do not want to write this, but still I have to: now integration – in the form in which we knew it – really failed, ”wrote Raik, commenting on the results of the parliamentary vote.
It is not enough to vote, we must proclaim
At the same time, the intrigue is not over yet. Despite the crushing victory of the supporters of the constitutional reform in parliament (for the accelerated change in the Constitution, four fifths of all votes were needed – 81), the changes have not yet entered into force.
The deputy of the European Parliament, Jan Toom (the Central Party), notes that in his speech, dedicated to the celebration of the Independence Day of Estonia, President Alar Caris directly hinted at a negative attitude to the deprivation of the pollution of citizens of third countries.
“The President of the New Law should still proclaim. Whether he will do this – a big question. He, in a sense, is hostage from our parliament: for the second term it will be approved by Riigikogu, ”Tom argues.
According to her, the situation might not have reached such a turn if social democrats did not go in the fairway of coalition and conservative parties.
“Their leader Lauri Laurinemets several months ago collided with the fall of the party’s ratings. Then it seemed to him logical to quickly hold a victorious war against the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, but this did not work, after which the Social Democrats joined the project of changing the constitution. If this weren’t, the centrists and social democrats would have enough voices so as not to allow the constitution to change, ”Tom emphasizes.
She added that the centrists are preparing an appeal to the Chancellor of the Law Yulle Madiz, so that she would conduct constitutional supervision over the scandalous decision of the parliament. In the case of constitutional supervision, the Chancellor of law checks whether laws, decisions and other law -making acts of the Constitution and the legislation correspond to.
“In addition, the adopted changes do not correspond to the good tone enshrined in the Venetian Commission (the Venice Commission, officially the European Commission for Democracy through Law – the Constitutional Law -Constitutional Law, created under the Council of Europe in 1990). The commission emphasizes that “the main provisions of the electoral legislation should not change in less than a year before the elections”, unless the amendments are exceptional and are based on a wide political consensus. The documents of the commission, in fact, are not obligated to anything, but this argument, along with others, will be used later, ”Tom added.
The forest is chopped – chips fly?
The rights of voting in local elections were lost not only by citizens of Russia and Belarus. Citizens of other countries, such as the United States, fell under the rink of reforms. The American writer and translator Adam Kallen, who lives in Estonia for 20 years, is surprised on the pages of the English -speaking portal ERR that one fine morning woke up with the stigma of the « threat of security »:
“I can no longer vote. Since March 26, 2025. Because I am a citizen of the third country. Not an aggressor state, but an ally. The greatest guarantor of the national security of Estonia is at least theoretically. I no longer have the right to decide which streets will be repaired in my small town. How money is allocated for preschool institutions. Even the one that my daughter visits, ”writes Cullen in his column.
The centrist Vadim Belobrovtsev also drew attention to the letter from the Embassy of Iceland, who also lost the right to vote in local elections received by the parliament.
“A letter came from the Iceland embassy, whose representatives ask the question, whether they understand correctly that from now on their citizens permanently residing in Estonia will no longer be able to vote in municipal elections, and if so, why? It will even be interesting to read the answer to the initiators of the change in the Constitution – how exactly they will explain that the citizens of the country, which in 1991 was the first to recognize the newly acquired independence of the Estonian Republic, deprived of suffrage at the same time with citizens of Russia and a heap of states. Maybe for local right -wing parties the vote of Iceland and, for example, the USA, Great Britain, Canada and Norway, are a “threat of security”? ” – The politician asks the question.
Protest elections can be waiting for us
Many journalists and observers agree that the autumn elections to local self -government can become protesting: the owners of the Gray Passports will vote for the last time, and the KoOS Center party or the KOOS party, as the adopted changes, may try to mobilize this « one -time » electorate. Estonian political scientist Tynis Sarts notes that today it is difficult to predict how a change in the constitution will specifically affect the election results.
“On the one hand, it is undoubtedly inflicted on the positions of the centrists in the capital, but it is impossible to say now how this will affect the mood of voters. Everything will depend on how politicians continue to work with the issue of changing the constitution, ”Sarts said in an interview with the Narva newspaper.
The journalist of the Narva edition of ERR Sergey Stepanov also discusses where new trends in Estonian politics can lead: “If you look at the results of the parliamentary elections in Ida-Virumaa, then you should even think about the deprivation of the electoral rights of all residents of the region, despite their citizenship. Almost 15% of the vote was cast for a candidate suspect in the Stateizer. And what to do with the citizens of Estonia, who also have citizenship of another country, including Russia? In general, the field for the activity is large. There is where to walk around. But in fact, one gets the impression that state security is nothing more than a reason for solving their political issues. ”
In any case, the story is not over yet. Whether 140 thousand inhabitants of Estonia will be lost in the end, they will show the coming days. To date, this issue is in the hands of the President of the country Alara Karis.
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