Under the current law, anyone with permanent residence can vote in a local election. However, the new amendment will close this down to only 27 nationalities, those who are citizens of EU countries.

The change was proposed by politicians after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to remove voting rights from Russians and Belarusians. They said citizens of aggressor nations should have no say in Estonia's politics. Russians also make up by far the largest minority group in Estonia. But the amendment was later expanded to include all third-country citizens.

At the 2021 local election, 61,224 non-Estonians voted which is 10.47 percent of all ballots cast. In total, 584,902 people submitted a ballot. The top five highest numbers of votes cast by nationality were Russians (29,959), stateless people (24,801), Ukrainians (1,584), Belarusians (528) and Brits (134).

ERR News spoke to permanent residents from Ukraine, Ecuador, Switzerland, Mexico, Belarus and the USA about their feelings towards the change. While some were angry or upset, others believed it would have little impact on their future in Estonia.

Olena Nedozhogina, from Ukraine, has lived in Estonia for 11 years and says the decision is "very regrettable and deeply undemocratic."

She stressed the wider issue, which the media has often tended to bypass due to the small size of the foreign community.

"It's not only about Russian and Belarussian citizens (though I think it is counterproductive and undemocratic to them as well), but also Ukrainians, who cannot vote in our own country at the moment, and also literally every single world country except for 26 other EU member-states," Nedozhogina told ERR News.

Ecuadorian Gerson Noboa said he did not like the decision being made solely on which passport a person holds: "Even if we have been loyal to the Estonian state, have integrated here and pay our taxes."

He believes it will "negatively disrupt integration efforts /.../ and thus create the opposite effect to what was intended."

Noboa also believes the change will have little impact, pointing out that over 11,500 people voted for the pro-Russian KOOS party at the last EU elections.

"Even though only Estonians and EU citizens can vote in those. There are EU countries that have elected pro-Russia governments, and those citizens can also relocate here and vote in elections," he said.

American Heidi Erbsen, who has lived in Estonia for 10 years, said allowing foreign citizens to vote gives them the chance to participate in improving society.

"It also means others have a responsibility to listen to and involve all long-term local residents in the discussion since each voice matters," she said. "Taking away that vote for me feels like taking away my opportunity and my responsibility to engage in discussions about how to make our community a better place."

Erbsen views the decision as a "lazy" and "short-sighted" solution.

"Why can Estonian citizens who have lived abroad for 10 years vote in local elections but I, as someone who has lived in and contributed to Estonian society for 10 years, cannot? I think both should have equal rights to support their home communities," she told ERR News.

However, some foreign residents saw different nuances in the recent decision.

Stephanie Rendón, a writer who has lived in Estonia for 11 years, said she did not like the decision but understands why it was made.

"In Mexico, where I was born, foreigners cannot vote, so this idea is not new for me," she said. "If I were in the parliament, and an Estonian citizen, perhaps I would vote for it, too."

At the same time, she believes there are downsides.

"I admit it is a big step back regarding integration, which is something that the government has been working very hard on in the last years, and so much has been achieved already," she told ERR News.

Former ERR News managing editor Dario Cavegn, who has lived in Estonia for 18 years, has voted in every election possible. But in his native Switzerland, voting rights are not extended to foreigners. He is not concerned by the decision.

"I understand it, and I think it will change local politics both in Tallinn and in Ida-Viru County for the better, and constitute a quantum leap towards a more orderly way of running things," he said.

Many Belarusians from the "new diaspora" also support the move. A joint statement by Belarusian NGOs in Estonia backed the decision at the end of 2024.

"We understand this is a matter of Estonia's internal affairs and recognize it is aimed at safeguarding national security. Furthermore, many European countries (including Belarus) do not grant voting rights to foreigners in local elections at all. Therefore, we find such a decision to be fair and timely," the appeal said.

Irina Suursild, from the NGO Valgevene Maja (Belarusian House) who has lived in Estonia for seven years, said some Belarusians who moved to Estonia during the Soviet occupation still hold views sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

"They are quite easy prey for Moscow and through this group, Moscow can manipulate and influence the situation in the country," she told ERR News in December.

View of Estonia

However, the decision has also changed some people's view of Estonia.

Noboa called it "worrying," adding he believes voting is the "cornerstone of democracy." "A supposedly democratic, free country is removing voting rights that were granted in the Constitution," he said.

"I still consider Estonia a good place to live, but it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hope this doesn't set a precedent in which the government takes away rights at will," the Ecuadorian added.

Nedozhogina said the decision has "100 percent" changed her view.

"This is a blow to integration efforts, not only of Russian-speakers, but just of any foreigner in Estonia," she said, adding that while the government claims to want high-skilled workers, there is little interest in them participating in local life.

"The message is that Estonia doesn't trust its current foreign permanent residents, and also doesn't care about their opinion on local affairs. I come from a country where civic activism is an everyday reality, and I am very saddened to see that this is not the case in Estonia."

Erbsen said she did not feel "entirely different" and plans to live in Estonia for the rest of her life. But she added debates about who does and does not belong are common.

"No matter how hard I try, it seems I will always be an outsider. Maybe this is because of these debates about who does and does not have the right to have their voice heard," the American said. "I want to be a part of the decision-making processes in my local community and set an example for my daughter." 

But Rendon, from Mexico, said the decision has not affected her "at all."

"For me, the security of the place I live in comes first. There are many other ways to participate actively in national matters, more enriching than voting in local elections," she said.

"I will not be able to vote and that is OK. Personally, I do not dive much into political topics. I came to this country to live, to learn, to work, to write my books and harvest my potatoes in Setomaa every summer," Rendon added. "I pay my taxes, I work hard, I trust this decision will help to protect Estonia and increase national security, regardless of the social problems it encompasses."

Cavegn, too, said developments "don't impact me very much."

"I have voted in every local election so far, but I've always found it difficult to pick a candidate. The temptation has always been to vote for the most disruptive loudmouth just for the hell of it, and I understand anyone who thinks there isn't much choice anyway," he continued.

"It doesn't make me feel differently about Estonia. On the contrary, I think it fits in very well with the kind of nationalist sentiment that's visible pretty much everywhere here, even if the reasoning behind it has a more immediate context," Cavegn added.

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