"I watched the video after your query; I was not aware of its existence before then," Eesti 200 deputy chair Aleksei Jašin told the Russian-language ERR Novosti. "The published material was not approved at the party chair [Kristina Kallas] or deputy chair levels."

However, the video itself also featured Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta, who, alongside Jašin, is a deputy chair of Eesti 200.

"I requested the removal of this video, because the serious issue of the voting rights of third-country nationals was pitched with cheerful background music and in a joking way," Jašin explained. "In my opinion, this format is completely inappropriate for presenting information on the topic of voting rights. At the moment, this video is no longer up."

In the clip, MP Hendrik Terras played the role of a reporter sarcastically interviewing fellow party members. He told ERR, however, that he agreed with Jašin, adding that the video's final cut wasn't great.

"We discussed it with Aleksei and requested it be taken down," Terras said. "And I totally get why it has upset people."

Although Terras himself participated in making the video and was the one filmed asking the questions, he said that the final version differed from what he had expected. When asked who commissioned the video and who it was aimed at, however, the MP suggested contacting Eesti 200's communications team.

"This wasn't approved by me," he stressed. "As soon as I saw it, I asked for it to be taken down. The final version was something completely different from what we initially made."

'Smash or pass?'

In the video, which was taken down from Eesti 200's Instagram account on Thursday evening, MP Hendrik Terras, chair of the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu, acted as a reporter with a microphone, conducting so-called "street interviews" with fellow party members around the Riigikogu.

Laughing and making jokes, Terras asked people what they thought of stripping the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian citizens.

Pakosta, Estonia's justice minister, was asked, "What do you think about revoking the voting rights of Russian citizens in local elections?" She replied that their voting rights should indeed be revoked, and added that not only those of Russian citizens, but those of Belarusian citizens as well.

According to a bill submitted by Estonia's ruling coalition and signed by all members of Eesti 200's parliamentary group, voting rights in the country's local elections would be limited to citizens of Estonia, EU and NATO member states as well as stateless persons, colloquially known in Estonia as "gray passport holders."

Terras also asked MP Ando Kiviberg about the same, framing it as a "smash or pass" question. "This should already be done," Kiviberg responded, gesturing. "Like this."

"So – smash," Terras confirmed.

MP Irja Lutsar agreed with the proposed disenfranchisement, albeit more reservedly.

"Yes, I strongly support the decision to strip Russian and Belarusian citizens of their voting rights," she said. "And I think gray passport holders should be stripped of the right to vote too."

"I believe this is a security issue," President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar told his party mate. "This must be addressed. We cannot allow citizens of aggressive states to elect municipal councils."

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