Estonia's electoral alliances face calls for transparency and better oversight

Many politicians, as well as the main watchdog body tasked with overseeing political parties in Estonia and their finances, believe that electoral alliances should become more transparent and that their oversight should be improved.
Electoral alliances are a phenomenon which come up during the local elections to Estonia's 79 municipalities.
Their incidence has been on the decline in recent years in Estonia, but they still represent a significant force in the regions – notably, in Tallinn electoral alliances are not strong.
They provide a locally-focused alternative to the mainstream national parties, and municipal leaders and governments often include politicians who ran for electoral alliances at the last local elections – though candidates can also belong to a mainstream party, and many do.
Liisa Oviir (SDE), chair of the Political Party Financing Surveillance Committee (ERJK), has identified electoral alliances as an area in need of regulation, given that the next local elections take place in October this year.
She said: "Electoral alliances are almost entirely unregulated; they don't submit any financial reports, even though some have existed for more than 10 years. In our view, it's a desert we cannot oversee."
"At the local level, this creates unfair competition with political parties," Oviir added.
The current Political Parties Act has been in effect for over a decade, and discussions about its revision have been ongoing for years.
The ERJK has repeatedly urged the ministry to update the law.
While a new Political Parties Act, which aims to address these issues, is expected to reach the Riigikogu soon, it reportedly does not contain a concrete plan for how to regulate electoral alliances.
Justice and Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said her ministry is proposing a small package of amendments to the act.
However, Pakosta noted that the Riigikogu will have to decide whether electoral alliances should continue operating as they do now or be required to register as non-profit organizations.
Pakosta said: "My question is: What is the logic here? You can dissolve a non-profit organization at any time—there's no obligation to maintain one."
"At the same time, forming a non-profit organization would be a significant hurdle. It could take several months to properly complete all the necessary documentation, and as a result, some electoral alliances might not be able to participate in elections. Is that the kind of Estonia we want?" the minister went on.
Other coalition politicians argue that the rules governing political parties and electoral alliances should be harmonized.
Eduard Odinets (SDE), a member of the Riigikogu Constitutional Committee, pointed out that it is currently impossible to monitor who finances electoral alliances between elections.
Odinets said: "They run campaigns, organize events. Who funds them, and with what promises? Right now, no one is monitoring this, except during the active election campaign period, which begins just a few months before an election."
"This is truly a gray zone, and we need to find solutions as soon as possible," he went on.
Timo Suslov, the Reform Party's secretary general, acknowledged that while political parties are required to submit detailed financial reports, electoral alliances face fewer obligations.
"I believe the Political Parties Act should clarify what these rules are. It's like playing basketball with different sets of rules—eventually, you won't get a good game," Suslov said.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera.' reporter Anne Raiste