What do gray passport holders, Russian citizens think about voting rights bans?
Last week, the Riigikogu approved a historic constitutional amendment to remove the rights of citizens of third countries to vote in local elections. But what do gray passport holders and Russian citizens living in Ida-Viru County think about the change? ETV+ show "Narodu Vazhna" spoke to some of those affected in the region to find out.
"It was quite surprising and offensive to me," said Olga, a Russian citizen who lives in Oru, Ida-Viru County. "It was as if some kind of label had been placed on Russian citizens. And many have citizenship of the Russian Federation but not of their own choice. I understand everything about the legislation. I understand that only citizens of the country are able to vote in parliamentary elections. But here at the local level these rights were also given to others. It turns out that we have to work and pay taxes, but we cannot decide who will build us roads, kindergartens or schools. Our task is just to pay," she added.
"I believe that all people who were born here should get Estonian citizenship without taking a language test," said Elena, a gray passport holder living in Kohtla-Järve.
"Some people find it easy, and some people are not able to learn new languages, especially pensioners. How can pensioners pass the Estonian language exam at that age? I think that it is the wrong way to deal with gray passport holders," she explained.
Svetlana, who also lives in Kohtla-Järve expressed a similar view. "I have a gray passport, even though I was born here. My mother was born here. And I think I should rightfully get Estonian citizenship," she told ETV+.
"I could get [an Estonian passport] already. I have passed the Constitutional exam and I have the necessary [Estonian] language level. But I don't think it's right to have to submit those documents. I should get an Estonian passport because of where I was born. The fact that they have deprived us of the right to vote in local elections is, in principle, not surprising. I think our politicians do everything just to satisfy themselves and not for the good of our country," Svetlana said.
At the end of March, the Riigikogu voted in favor of amending the Estonian Constitution to revoke the right of Russian and Belarusian citizens as well as other third country nationals to vote in local elections. Only Estonian and EU citizens can vote in local elections starting this October. Stateless persons, holding so-called gray passports, will still be allowed to vote in the next round of local elections, but that will be the last time.
The bill has not yet been promulgated by Estonian President Alar Karis.
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Editor: Viktor Solts, Michael Cole
Source: ETV+
