Elections in Estonia
Template:Short description Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists Estonia elects a legislature on the national level. According to the current (1992) Constitution of Estonia, the parliament (Riigikogu) has 101 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation with a 5% electoral threshold. A head of state – the president – is elected for a five-year term by parliament (1st–3rd round, 7th or subsequent rounds) or an electoral college (4th–6th round). Locally, Estonia elects local government councils, which vary in size. Election law states the minimum size of a council depending on the size of municipality. Local government councils are elected by proportional representation too.
- The minimum number of council members is prescribed to be at least 7 seats
- Over 2,000 inhabitants: at least 13 seats
- Over 5,000 inhabitants: at least 17 seats
- Over 10,000 inhabitants: at least 21 seats
- Over 50,000 inhabitants: at least 31 seats
- Over 300,000 inhabitants: at least 79 seats
Estonia has a multi-party system with numerous parties. At the national level, no one party has ever gained the simple majority in order to govern alone. Political parties have had to negotiate with each other in order to form coalition governments.
Direct elections have taken place in the following years:
- Constituent Assembly: 1919, 1936, 1990<ref>The Congress of Estonia was a national parliament elected in February 1990 in then Soviet-occupied Estonia. After the restoration of the country's independence in August 1991, a Constitutional Assembly of Estonia was formed with half of its members elected from the Congress of Estonia to write a new constitution. The new Constitution of Estonia was approved by referendum in June 1992.</ref>
- Riigikogu (parliament): 1920, 1923, 1926, 1929, 1932, 1938, 1940,<ref>
Parliamentary elections on 14–15 July 1940 followed the 16–17 June 1940 Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia and were blatantly rigged. They were also unconstitutional, since only seats for the lower chamber of the bicameral parliament, the Chamber of Deputies ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), were contested; the upper chamber, the National Council, had been dissolved and was never reconvened.</ref><ref>Elections of the lower chamber of the parliament and establishing the Soviet order in Estonia in 1940 Estonica</ref> 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
- Local/municipal: 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2025
- European parliament: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2024
- Referendums: 1923, 1932, June 1933, October 1933, 1936, 1992 (new constitution), 2003 (EU membership)
- President: 1992 (Presidential elections since 1996 have taken place in Riigikogu or Electoral College)
Voting
Residents without Estonian citizenship may not elect the Riigikogu (the national parliament). Residents without citizenship of any European Union member state may not elect the European Parliament nor municipal councils.
Foreign citizens were eligible to vote in the local (municipal) elections in Estonia up until 2025, last eligible elections being 2021 municipal elections. Stateless residents, or so-called “non-citizens” holding Estonian alien's passport are eligible to vote up until 2025 municipal elections, but not after.<ref name="permanent residents elections">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Electronic voting is based on the Estonian ID card. Every voter has the right to verify and change their vote electronically. If the voter has also voted with a ballot paper, then only the ballot paper will be taken into account.<ref name=":17"/><ref name=":18"/><ref name=":19"/><ref name=":20"/>
Latest parliamentary election
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} {{#lst:2023 Estonian parliamentary election|2023electiontable}}
Municipal elections
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
European elections
- European Parliament election, 2004
- European Parliament election, 2009
- European Parliament election, 2014
- European Parliament election, 2019
- European Parliament election, 2024
Referendums
The Constitution of Estonia gives the Parliament of Estonia the power to submit a bill or other national issue to a referendum (article 105 of the Constitution<ref name="constitution">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>). The result of the vote is binding. If a bill which is submitted to a referendum does not receive a majority of votes in favour, the President of the Republic shall declare extraordinary elections to the Parliament.
There are some issues which cannot be submitted to the referendum: issues regarding the budget, taxation, financial obligations of the state, ratification and denunciation of international treaties, the declaration or termination of a state of emergency, or national defence (article 105 of the Constitution<ref name="constitution" />).
Some parts of the Constitution (chapters "General Provisions" and "Amendment of the Constitution") can be amended only by a referendum (article 162 of the Constitution<ref name="constitution" />). The rest of Constitution can be amended either by
- a referendum;
- two successive memberships of the Parliament;
- the Parliament, as a matter of urgency (article 163 of the Constitution<ref name="constitution" />).
A three-fifths majority of the membership of the Parliament is required to submit a bill to amend the Constitution to a referendum (article 164 of the Constitution<ref name="constitution" />).
See also
External links
- History of the RiigiKogu
- Adam Carr's Election Archive
- Parties and elections
- National Electoral Committee of Estonia
- NSD: European Election Database - Estonia publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1992-2007
References
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