Isamaa politician Urmas Reinsalu had proposed including in Tallinn's coalition agreement a statement that the Reform Party, Isamaa and Eesti 200 deem it essential to find and implement a legal solution in the Riigikogu to revoke the voting rights of citizens of aggressor states in local elections.

In an appearance on Vikerraadio's "Uudis+" on Tuedsay, Ossinovski called this move an act of extortion.

"This was about bringing national issues to the local level, for which there was of course no substantive justification, and everyone just wanted to move on from it," he explained. "And the reason why the prime minister's party then started focusing seriously on the voting rights issue was obviously not because of this declaration, but because the prime minister changed."

According to the SDE deputy chair, former Prime Minister Kaja Kallas understood the risks to domestic peace posed by the voting rights issue much better than current Prime Minister Kristen Michal does.

"For Michal, ratings are more important than anything else," he said.

Ossinovski was unable to say what would become of the constitutional amendment bill in the Riigikogu on Wednesday.

"That will be decided by MPs, but my call is definitely not to support this [bill]," he said.

"Honestly, I've also argued repeatedly, both within the party and publicly, that restricting voting rights at the local level does not serve Estonia's interests — especially now, after [U.S. President] Donald Trump took office, and on top of having a real enemy in Moscow, we also now have that Moscow enemy in an uncomfortably intimate relationship with the president of the United States," Ossinovski continued.

He pointed out that in this situation, people should consider what Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Maj. Gen. Andrus Merilo said on Estonian Independence Day on February 24, about shaping the conditions necessary for victory.

"One very important aspect here is that Estonian society remains united, that we do not needlessly create pointless divisions, because when we actually need to defend the country, it's completely irrelevant who Zinaida Ivanovna voted for in the Tallinn City Council elections in front of the Linnamäe Maxima," the capital city's mayor underscored.

"It's clear that this empty signifier has turned into a real political issue, meaning that instead of addressing an actual, tangible security threat, we're labeling an entire group of the population under the pretense of security concerns," he continued. "There are certainly folks who fundamentally disagree with this and believe it's a bad idea, but their number has likely decreased, considering public pressure."

'Leaders must be able to anticipate what's coming'

Asked whether it was a mistake for the Social Democrats to agree as part of the previous coalition last fall to take a step back in order to move forward on this issue, instead of stating outright that the SDE would not take part in the discussion on this constitutional amendment in the Riigikogu, the party's deputy chair confirmed that this had indeed been his position.

"This has been my position, as it was [when I was] on the party board," he said. "I voted against changing this position and lost, along with a couple of my colleagues, because of course our colleagues in the Riigikogu also feel the same pressure from the media."

Ossinovski acknowledged that this position is indeed a difficult one to explain.

"Because for us, it isn't a matter of us particularly liking citizens of the Russian Federation or stateless persons, but that state leaders must be able to anticipate what's coming," he explained. "This amendment has clear political-sociological repercussions, and those repercussions are negative. It needs to be kept in mind that in such a fragile geopolitical situation as ours, engaging in voter manipulation six months before the elections — the real goal, as we know, is to secure positions in Tallinn by taking mandates from the Center Party."

The deputy party chair added that he, too, believes the Center Party should spend a couple of years in the opposition to clean itself up, but this goal needs to be achieved honestly, through an election campaign — not by manipulating the electorate.

"Because the inevitable result will be one that has been proven to occur everywhere else — that people will not end up more satisfied with public authority as a result of a symbolic move like this," he warned. "Rather, they'll become more withdrawn."

'Abstaining on this vote would be undignified'

According to Ossinovski, members of the SDE parliamentary group must participate in Wednesday's vote.

"In such a fundamental matter, abstaining or sneaking off to the bathroom would be undignified," he stressed. "I don't believe our colleagues would do that. But if I were an MP, I would of course vote against this [constitutional amendment]."

The deputy chair said that SDE's parliamentary group is currently following the party board's stated position, which is that they support revoking the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian citizens, but view stateless persons differently for substantive reasons, as these are people who have no other homeland, either formally or in essence.

"Whether a version [of the bill] that the Social Democrats are prepared to support reaches a vote actually depends on the current coalition, meaning Prime Minister Michal," he said. "If they support the amendment they've put forward in violation of their previous agreement, then there is one scenario: if they vote it down, then the Social Democrats will support amending the Constitution."

Meanwhile, Reform Party politicians like Michal and MP Õnne Pillak have been pressuring Social Democrats to vote as called for.

Ossinovski called the Reform Party's actions public humiliation.

"Politicians must be able to stand by their principles," he stressed. "This is one of those cases where crude political manipulation is being carried out at the cost of undermining societal cohesion in an already complex security political situation."

SDE parliamentary group members to keep initial agreement in mind

MP Tiit Maran told ERR that he would vote in favor of the bill on Wednesday if it retains what was initially agreed to — meaning the disenfranchisement of only Russian and Belarusian citizens.

"I consider this compromise reasonable," Maran said.

MP Madis Kallas said that he likewise supports the bill as it stood in its first two readings.

"I am prepared to support the revocation of the voting rights of citizens of aggressor states," Kallas confirmed. If the amendment as proposed should pass, however, he would find himself in a new situation and would have to reassess things.

MP Reili Rand said that she supports what "the Social Democrats have said all along: that they support revoking the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian citizens."

Regarding the potential amendment, Rand said she hopes the Reform Party will also stick to the agreement. "There's no need to jump to conclusions," she added.

MP Helmen Kütt stated briefly that she would vote according to her conscience and the principle of a free mandate on Wednesday.

MP Anti Allas likewise confirmed that the Social Democrats' position remains unchanged. "For citizens of aggressor states — yes," he specified. "For stateless persons — no."

The extended board of the SDE is set to discuss Wednesday's vote on Tuesday evening.

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