The issue has been debated for more than a year and a half in Estonia. On Thursday, November 7, the majority deputies presented to the Riigikogu (Parliament) a draft amendment to the Constitution aimed at prohibiting Russian and Belarusian citizens who hold a permanent residence permit in Estonia from the right to vote in local elections. A measure that raises a lot of controversy in a country of 1.3 million inhabitants where Russian speakers represent 31% of the population. This label includes Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Estonian citizens with Russian roots and stateless people.
In their letter of intent, the deputies of the coalition – formed by the Reform Party and Estonia 200, two liberal groups, in addition to the Social Democrats – explain that they want to reserve the right to vote “to citizens of countries that share democratic values and common security interests with Estonia, as well as to stateless persons residing in Estonia, who have no loyalty or other obligations towards another country”. Although the text does not specify it, it is mainly aimed at Russian and Belarusian citizens.
Currently, around 83,500 Russian citizens reside in the small Baltic state. Some arrived decades ago. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, their loyalty has been questioned and they are increasingly seen as a national security risk.
In an article published on the EER channel website on November 4, MP Peeter Tali (Estonia 200) notes that “75% of Russian citizens who voted in Estonia [lors de l’élection présidentielle russe de mars] voted for Putin, a dictator wanted internationally for war crimes ». However, he forgets to mention that only 2,539 people went to the Russian embassy in Tallinn to enter their vote at the polls.
Radical change of the social democrats
The proposed constitutional reform not only affects Russians and Belarusians, but all foreigners. With three exceptions: citizens of the member countries of the European Union (EU), those of the States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as stateless persons., a group whose inclusion in the law was the subject of tough negotiations between coalition partners.
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