SDE also pledged not to hold up the process, an issue which had been one of the sticking points ahead of the party being ejected from government earlier this month.

At the same time, the party wants the amendment in the meantime to leave voting rights in place for "gray passport" holders, i.e., people of undetermined citizenship.

Ossinovski, who is also a party vice-chair, said he himself did not support the decision, made by SDE's board on Wednesday, but added he has not considered leaving the party as a result.

While the vote took place at Tuesday's board meeting, the decision was not unanimously agreed on, he said.

"There was no formal vote, but people expressed their opinions, and I did not support the decision that the majority favored," he said, adding he believes the decision: "weakens Estonian society and rather adds to security threats instead of reducing them."

Some members of the party will definitely be disappointed by the decision, he added. "But of course, one must also agree with those who say that, conversely, there have been people who left SDE because we did not agree to revoke voting rights. So in that respect, this is a deeply polarizing topic, including within the party itself," he added.

The SDE chair also said that opposition party Isamaa had been stirring things up on the topic, diverting public attention from real security threats to a symbolic question of voting rights.

"Unfortunately, much of the media took the bait as well, enjoying the rhetorical ping-pong between parties. Even though it would have been better to condemn this cynical political tactic from the outset and explain the issue calmly to the public," Ossinovski said.

There has been a sea change on this issue among SDE members, he added; but ultimately those people found it reasonable to go with the flow, which the board accepted.

As to inconsistency on this issue and how it might affect SDE's standing, Ossinovski said: "Experience will show. I believe that in politics, both for a politician and for a party, the primary currency is credibility — that what is said and promised is actually done."

While compromises are sometimes necessary in politics, those who frequently change their positions end up with a question mark over their reputation, he added.

Ossinovski noted that when she was prime minister, Kaja Kallas (Reform) grasped that removing voting rights was too risky in the current security situation. Following a change in head of government, current Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) didn't share the same concern and "couldn't care less" about the risks, Ossinovski said.

Then over time, SDE's position gradually softened, leading to the current situation, he added.

He noted on his social media account that Ossinovski shared on social media that in "one of the most honest political discussions of my life, where no one was thinking about poll ratings but truly about what was at stake for Estonia," a discussion held with Eesti 200 chair and Education Minister Kristina Kallas in summer 2023, an agreement was made "not to touch the constitution."

Kallas, as an integration specialist, had held the same opinion as Ossinovski and SDE then, he said.

The local elections take place in October this year meaning the constitutional amendment to strip voting rights from Russian and Belarusian citizens residing in Estonia is now urgent.

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