Isamaa turn to Supreme Court over Riigikogu's remote sittings
Riikogu's Isamaa Party Priit Sibul has turned to the Supreme Court over the government's decision to move Riigikogu sittings online and said "compelling reasons" were not made for the switch.
Last week, the government said going forward work will be organized in the form of remote sittings even though a consensus was not reached among the Riigikogu's board.
"The basis of the decision, a letter written by the Reform Party, did not present any compelling reasons, talking [instead] about the high infection rate of society, the high vaccination rate of Riigikogu members and the government's recommendation of remote working and setting an example that way," Sibul said.
He does not consider the government's recommendation to set an example to be a compelling reason.
"The mentioned reasons are not objective obstacles, but the Riigikogu's majority wants to send a signal to society with the decision. In an epidemiological situation, a large number of coronavirus-positive Riigikogu members can be considered as a compelling reason. Currently, we don't have such a situation," his complaint says.
Sibul said that the fact that a large percentage of the Riigikogu members are vaccinated is important.
"In the Riigikogu, as a higher state body that performs an important democratic function, the change of work organization in connection with the spread of the coronavirus is not justified," Sibul said adding that the government's management and crisis management do not work.
"Someone has the idea and the feeling that something needs to be done and limited, and then it's done. It is absurd - the crisis and the country can't be managed that way."
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Editor: Roberta Vaino