Suffrage
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 4th sitting, information briefing
Date: 2024-11-06 14:29
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 12
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 11m
AI Summaries: 12/12 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Riigikogu member Riina Solman (Isamaa) submitted an interpellation to Prime Minister Kristen Michal regarding voting rights, focusing on restricting the suffrage of citizens of aggressor states and stateless persons in local elections. Solman acknowledged the Prime Minister for taking up the issue at the national level but asked directly whether Michal had become a hostage to the Social Democrats, given that the coalition's compromise proposal stipulates retaining the voting rights of stateless persons.
Prime Minister Michal emphasized that revoking the voting rights of citizens of aggressor states is the primary goal for security considerations, and achieving this requires a broad-based compromise in the Riigikogu. He conceded that his personal preference would be to restrict voting rights for stateless persons as well, but called on the opposition to support the urgent constitutional amendment process to avoid political games.
Mart Helme (EKRE) intervened in the debate, accusing Michal of operating with concepts misleading to the public and claiming that revoking voting rights only from Russian citizens is discriminatory, as many ‘grey passport holders’ have dual citizenship. Helme concluded his speech with a provocative congratulation on Donald Trump’s victory and accused Michal of using Kremlin rhetoric. The debate ended with a procedural note from Mart Helme, in which he accused the Prime Minister of lacking functional reading and listening skills regarding the misinterpretation of Martin Helme’s previous statements.
Decisions Made 1
No decisions were made
Most Active Speaker
Mart Helme (EKRE) was highly active, submitting a provocative supplementary question and later raising a point of order, accusing the Prime Minister of misleading the public and demonstrating incompetence. His political stance is right-wing/opposition.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
In the third question, Riina Solman asks the Prime Minister Kristen Michal about voting rights.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman stressed that Isamaa has stood firmly for restricting the voting rights of citizens of third countries in local government elections, praised the prime minister for this initiative, and highlighted the coalition's disagreements, rhetorically asking whether the prime minister is a hostage to the SDE and whether we would have been in the same situation if Isamaa had not stood for this principled value issue in Tallinn and across the country.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that stripping the voting rights of citizens of aggressor states must be adopted quickly in Parliament, and to achieve this it will require compromises across the entire political spectrum, especially the involvement of Isamaa, and the public will judge the outcome.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks and asks Riina Solman to present a clarifying question.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman thanked the esteemed prime minister, stressed the need for broad-based responsibility, and invited all parties to the negotiating table for discussions, and asked the Reform Party to take a clear stand without forming a coalition, and to refrain from expressing a personal opinion on the compromise regarding the voting rights of citizens.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that his personal position is that stateless people should not have a say in Estonia's affairs, and the primary aim is to revoke the voting rights of citizens of aggressor states, adding that the solution would not find a place in the Tallinn City Council due to the Constitution, and that the coalition and the opposition should, in cooperation, draft the text and, after presenting it, unite and organize a round-table discussion.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanks and asks Mart Helme for an additional question.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme accused the government of restricting the voting rights of citizens of the aggressor state to grey-passport holders, and stated that if it does not pass, the opponents will be accused of being Putinists.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Mihal said that the necessary change will arise with an overwhelmingly large majority in parliament, and all parties must make compromises; he praised EKRE's willingness to find a solution and amend the constitution, called for seeking common ground, emphasized that citizens of an aggressor state should not be allowed to participate in local elections, and warned against rhetoric connected to Putin and the Kremlin that speaks of dividing the occupied territories in the name of peace.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Speaker, Lauri Hussar, thanked the prime minister, concluded today's third question, and asked Mart Helmel, whose hand was raised, to present a question about the procedure for conducting the session.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The speech claimed that Kristen Michal lacks functional reading and listening skills, that Martin Helme described Donald Trump's peace plan, not EKRE's own, and that the claim that Helme is prepared to cede Estonian or Ukrainian territories is not true.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
He thanks Mart Helme for it and explains that the format does not allow a counterargument and must move on, because there are really a lot of questions.