With local elections due in October, the issue of Russian and Belarusian citizens residing in Estonia came under scrutiny, as foreign nationals with permanent residence are eligible to vote.

SDE had sought an exemption from the ban for stateless persons – also called gray passport holders – while still in office with Reform and Eesti 200.

The party's board decided on Tuesday to continue this policy for October's elections.

Läänemets, interior minister in the previous administration, told ERR: "Tomorrow we will vote against both proposed amendments to the Constitution. After that, it is up to the Riigikogu to decide whether the constitutional amendment will be processed urgently or not. This is the most significant decision. SDE will vote for the urgent constitutional amendment, provided that gray passport holders retain their right to vote in these elections."

"SDE continues to support the constitutional amendment which removes the right to vote from Russian and Belarusian citizens, but retains it for stateless persons. It is not reasonable to treat citizens of aggressor states the same as stateless individuals, whose only homeland is Estonia. From the outset, this approach has faced both legal and substantive counterarguments," Läänemets added.

"Naturally we are not happy about the situation in which the Reform Party and other parties have placed SDE. This is a game of chance, with a real possibility that the constitutional amendment could fail. And since new ideas have been introduced into the constitutional amendment, the risk remains that the decision will be challenged at the Supreme Court," he continued.

Removing voting rights in Estonia requires an amendment to the Constitution. The issue affects local elections only, as only Estonian citizens can vote at Riigikogu elections, with EU elections limited to EU citizens residing in Estonia.

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