Isamaa proposes law change to strip Russian nationals of local election vote
The opposition party Isamaa is advocating constitutional amendments at the Riigikogu, via legislative amendments, to adjust voting rights for Russian and Belarusian nationals, stressing consensus and legal alignment ahead of next year's local elections.
The first reading of two draft amendments to the Constitution concerning voting rights is on the agenda at Wednesday's Riigikogu sitting.
The Isamaa faction is due to propose an amendment to the Local Government Council Election Act to align it with planned constitutional changes for the 2025 elections.
Isamaa chief whip Helir-Valdor Seeder said: "The current Local Government Council Election Act specifies two dates which do not align with the planned entry into force of the constitutional amendments."
"These relate to the formation of electoral districts and the number of voters per district required to determine the allocation of mandates, specifically no later than 90 days before election day and/or June 1.
"Since the constitutional amendment could take effect either at the end of June or the beginning of July, these dates need to be adjusted," he added.
Isamaa's position is that the first reading of both constitutional amendment drafts under deliberation should be concluded on Wednesday, and that over the next three months, the Riigikogu should aim to achieve the broadest possible consensus for the urgent constitutional changes, Seeder went on.
"At the same time, the Local Government Council Election Act must also be amended, to ensure that the will of the Riigikogu and the overwhelming majority of the Estonian public gets fulfilled," Seeder concluded.
Amending the Estonian Constitution, which has not been amended since its inception in 1991, is one route to stripping voting rights of Russian and Belarusian nationals residing on a permanent basis in Estonia.
At present, these and all other third-country nationals permanently resident may vote in the local elections, but the changed security situation since the last municipal elections in 2021 has brought this right under scrutiny – even if it may just be a case of the Kremlin manipulating the vote via a small proportion of that entire demographic in Estonia.
The local elections take place in October 2025.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Aleksander Krjukov
