The Estonian Greens has presented a full list of nine candidates for the European elections this year, while it has only paid the security deposit of €4,100 per candidate for two of them.

The National Electoral Committee is set to register candidates for the 2024 European Parliament elections during a meeting set to start at 1 p.m. Monday.

Last Saturday, the Greens asked the committee to register all nine of their candidates while lifting the security deposit requirement.

"In order to stop the ongoing escalation in the concentration of power and a situation where only the financially privileged can run in elections, we ask the National Electoral Committee to register all our candidates and give them a fair chance at elections. We ask the committee to lift the unfounded and unreasonably high deposit requirement," the party said in a press release.

The Greens find the security deposit goes against European human rights principles. "We find that the condition of a security deposit in the European Parliament Election Act is not in accordance with European human rights principles, the positions of the Venice Commission or commonly accepted European values."

Kadri Masing, media adviser for the State Electoral Office, told ERR that the Estonian Greens have paid the deposit for two of their candidates, adding that the committee will make a decision regarding the party's request at its Monday meeting.

European Parliament elections will take place June 3-9 in Estonia.

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