First Reading of the Draft Act Amending the Local Government Council Election Act (287 SE)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 3rd sitting, plenary sitting
Date: 2024-02-22 12:01
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 61
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 4m
AI Summaries: 61/61 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The substance of the agenda item was the first reading of Draft Law 287 on amending the Local Government Council Election Act, initiated by the faction of the Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE). The purpose of the draft law, introduced by Henn Põlluaas, was to prohibit electoral alliances from participating in local elections, thereby making local elections similar to Riigikogu (parliamentary) elections. Põlluaas emphasized that electoral alliances are unstable associations, often formed only for a single election; they lack clear ideological accountability and encourage 'crossing the floor' (defection) and political maneuvering within the councils. According to the bill's proponents, the amendment would help increase political accountability and stability at the local government level.
During the debate, opposition parties (especially the Social Democrats) expressed strong opposition, arguing that banning electoral alliances restricts local democracy and voters' freedom of choice. Reference was also made to a previous Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right of electoral alliances to participate in local elections. Critics (such as Anti Allas and Priit Lomp) argued that political parties should be able to defeat electoral alliances through fair competition, rather than banning them outright. The lead committee, the Constitutional Committee, proposed rejecting the draft law. As a result of the vote, the bill was indeed rejected and dropped from the proceedings.
Decisions Made 3
The Constitutional Committee proposed rejecting the draft bill at the first reading.
Bill 287 was rejected on the first reading (45 votes in favor, 11 against).
Draft 289 was removed from the discussion (due to Jaak Valge's absence).
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker was Henn Põlluaas, who presented the draft bill and answered numerous questions (10 times in total). Põlluaas represented the faction of the Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE), which is a right-wing opposition party.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
The first item on the agenda is the first reading of Draft Act 287, initiated by the EKRE faction, concerning amendments to the Local Government Council Election Act. Riigikogu member Henn Põlluaas is invited to the podium to deliver the report.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas presented the draft amendment to the Local Government Council Election Act, initiated by EKRE. Under this proposal, local government elections would be made similar to Riigikogu (Parliamentary) elections: electoral alliances would no longer participate, and the right to submit candidate lists would remain solely with political parties. The proponents argue that this change will bring stability and increase accountability in local governments.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Ratas thanked the presenter, noting that you have at least two questions, and invited Andre Hanimägi to speak.
Andre Hanimägi
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The speaker points out that Estonian political parties are dynamic and that trust in them is low, and urges people to trust the public's ability to decide for themselves who should lead local municipalities.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas notes that political parties and electoral alliances are increasingly unstable and are often formed merely for the sake of winning, but in local government elections, the choice remains: candidates can run regardless of their party affiliation, and voters can still choose the person they prefer.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas offers his thanks and invites Priit Lomp to speak.
Priit Lomp
AI Summary
Priit Lomp stresses that the demonization of electoral alliances is unfair, confirms that their central goal is to solve issues facing the local community and the municipality, and asks whether the impression of instability coming from Toompea isn't actually a distorting mirror.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Moving beyond other perspectives, Henn Põlluaas stresses that political parties provide a stable foundation for local governments. While electoral alliances may be convenient, they frequently dissolve, which is why the stability offered by parties is extremely valuable in the modern world and should therefore be fostered.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas addressed Priit Sibul and asked him for something.
Priit Sibul
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Priit Sibul thanks the presiding officer and the rapporteur, and asks what will eventually become of the draft legislation.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas states that during the tenure of the current Parliament, no bill submitted by the opposition has even made it to the first reading, and substantive proposals from all opposition parties, including those concerning the state budget, have been rejected. He believes that this particular bill will ultimately be thrown in the trash, but he is prepared to answer questions and explain why it merits consideration.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Mart Maastik is asked to speak during the address.
Mart Maastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The scenario highlights two opposing aspects: on the one hand, the fear of running under a party name and the signs of fearing small vote counts in Saaremaa; on the other hand, the assertion that local life is not merely a matter of worldview. It then raises the question of whether adherence to these views, in the form of direct elections and referendums, does not actually restrict democracy through the lens of party affiliation.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas believes that local political parties are hiding like wolves in sheep's clothing, and that the draft bill will increase honesty and transparency, strengthen democracy and public participation, and reduce pointless power shifts that harm the voter.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas asked Andre Hanimägi to now pose his second question.
Andre Hanimägi
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Andre Hanimägi criticizes the necessity of restrictions and the power struggles between political parties, stressing that individual candidates can run for the Riigikogu, the European Parliament, and local government positions, and he questions why the community should be denied the chance to get involved in politics.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas is urging a reduction in political games, demanding clarification regarding candidates' identities, and calling for an end to hiding behind list names, arguing that this would reduce voter confusion and horse-trading, since statistics indicate that election alliances are precisely the root of this evil.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas invited Rain Epler onto the stage.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler stresses that people care about Estonia and its future at both the national and local levels, and a clear understanding of one's worldview is crucial for defining whether we prioritize fostering entrepreneurship or distributing wealth, citing the example of the director’s early confidence in the success of the progressive income tax and his subsequent acknowledgment.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Although he is the founder of the Conservative People's Party, Henn Põlluaas stated that political parties have changed over time. He noted that the Reform Party has transformed from its original entrepreneurial and reformist identity into a left-radical one, while the Social Democrats have forgotten the interests of the working class and now focus on minorities. He added that while these changes also affect electoral alliances, they are long-term, and there is no stability because people jump from one list to another in pursuit of plum positions.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Jüri Ratas invites Priit Lomp to the stage.
Priit Lomp
AI Summary
Priit Lomp said that the Social Democrats have been ahead of EKRE for some time, criticized the bill that stifles local democracy, and noted that it will likely end up in the dustbin of history, adding that "defection" is a personal trauma for someone.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Jüri Ratas invites the audience to ask a question.
Priit Lomp
AI Summary
Priit Lomp asks two questions: Is this someone's personal trauma, and won't the truth in this dispute fail to emerge when you have both a conservative and a liberal person in the same electoral alliance?
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas claims that the truth does not emerge from the Riigikogu debate, arguing that the coalition steamrolls the opposition. He further states that electoral alliances in local elections are absurd and should be abolished by aligning local government (KOV) elections with parliamentary (Riigikogu) elections and restricting participation only to political parties, because experience matters.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Priit Lomp raises a procedural question.
Priit Lomp
AI Summary
He recalled that in 2005, Põlluaas did not run on the Kindel Tegija list, but instead ran with the electoral alliance Sõbralik Linn, received 25 votes, and was not elected, in order to avoid the impression that he had gained a seat on the council on some other list since 2005.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas thanked [the speaker] and said that it was not a procedural question, and then addressed Evelin Poolamets.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets expresses strong support for the bill, highlighting that electoral alliances can encompass various worldviews, and that coalitions forming at the local level can also influence national politics, a fact illustrated by the significant shrinking of the Centre Party faction.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas emphasizes that everything is interconnected, and the discussion should focus solely on the specific bill, not on personal traumas or just plain nonsense.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas invited Anti Poolamets to speak.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets cites an example from Rakvere where the electoral coalition Rakvere Heaks, which was active during the 2021 campaign, failed to submit a report. This resulted in an investigation and a coercive fine from the ERJK, and subsequent discussions with the Chancellor of Justice addressed what should be done with individuals who claim they know nothing about the electoral coalition.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Jüri Ratas greets the questioner and says that it is now the questioner's time.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas emphasizes that electoral coalitions lack accountability, and people do not know who they are voting for. The purpose of the bill is to introduce clear accountability for political parties and provide the opportunity to dissolve a criminal party, thereby giving voters a guarantee that their vote is real and lasting, and not merely a temporary association.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas invited Mart Maastik to speak.
Mart Maastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Maastik emphasizes that worldview is extremely important in local government elections; although political leanings may drift from the center to the right, it is natural for young people to develop a desire to share others' property, but in maturity, the desire to protect that property emerges. He/She warns that the electors often originate from the very same local governments, and if there are wolves in sheep’s clothing among them, it is difficult to foresee what will result, concluding by asking how these electors should be regarded.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
I stress that only citizens should be allowed to run in local government elections, and language proficiency must be a requirement, because non-citizens—including Russian and Belarusian citizens—are able to vote, and this undermines the legitimacy of the president.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
This is a very brief request addressed to Anti Allas.
Anti Allas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Anti Allas asks whether the draft legislation is mafia-like or characteristic of a neighboring country, because, according to his claim, results in elections must be achieved by eliminating a strong opponent. He also asks why fair competition couldn't take place and why opponents have to be afraid.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas says that their goal is not to eliminate rivals, but rather to give people a better opportunity and a clearer picture of whom they are choosing, thereby strengthening democracy and the decision-making process in the elected councils, and following the will of the people so that the strong and better candidate prevails. E-voting must not be allowed to compromise this in any way.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas calls upon Arvo Aller to speak.
Arvo Aller
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Arvo Aller's speech emphasizes that the bill's purpose is to strengthen the connection between parliament and local government, and this can only be done through political parties, because when electoral alliances are present, the central government doesn't know who to talk to at the local levels.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas states that the central government treats local municipalities as a mere taskmaster, and the county administration has been abolished. Local government associations lack sufficient influence, their proposals are disregarded during the compilation of the state budget, and new unfunded mandates are imposed upon them. He believes that political parties operating at the local level could clarify the relationship between local government and the state.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas calls Mait Klaassen.
Mait Klaassen
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mait Klaassen notes that the discussion has become scattered, shares his experience with an electoral coalition and as a county governor, and emphasizes that political games have always existed and will remain in local governments. He then asks why local residents should be stripped of their right to form electoral coalitions.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas stresses that local government elections should be structured similarly to Riigikogu (parliamentary) elections to ensure stable governance, and he confirms that this does not limit individuals, as candidates can still run on the list of their desired party without formally joining it.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Rain Epler is invited to speak.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler claims that economic growth and increasing exports boost wealth, and that raising the minimum wage is not a problem given the labor shortage. He emphasizes freedom of opinion and speech, which allows comparing political parties to mafia-like structures and Putin’s Russia, and finally asks whether people wish to adopt such a worldview when running for office.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas argues that the way parties are described reflects a person's immediate experiences. He suggests that while a social democrat might compare a political party to a mafia gang, his own party is not like that; rather, it is fully democratic, with all positions being elective, even though he neglected to mention the other side of the issue.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Ratas calls upon Anti Poolamets to take the floor.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets raised the issue of lack of accountability and asked whether there had been discussions about ensuring that political associations are not loosely organized or diffuse, but rather proper non-profit organizations (NGOs), and that a minimum number of members (e.g., 100–150) be established for participation in local elections.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The current discussion revolves around whether local municipality elections should be made similar to the Riigikogu (Parliament) elections. However, the decision regarding the required length of the candidate list is not being made now; that depends on the size and level of support for the municipality. Nevertheless, the discussion itself is welcome.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
The central focus of the speech is calling Siim Pohlak to the stage.
Siim Pohlak
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Siim Pohlak notes that the municipality is in the grip of a couple of local businessmen who profit from municipal assets and buy them from the municipal government for dirt cheap prices. A new electoral coalition is formed for every election, but the faces remain the same, continuing the corrupt pattern – and he asks whether the draft legislation would be able to solve this problem.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He said that corrupt and criminal individuals hide behind electoral alliances, which are formed specifically to gain power and pursue personal profit, but a political party can control such behavior and expel them if necessary, as it is morally far more regulated and accountable than an electoral alliance.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas thanked the rapporteur, announced that there were no further questions, and requested that the presentation by Timo Suslov, a member of the Constitutional Committee, be delivered at the Riigikogu rostrum.
Timo Suslov
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Timo Suslov presented a brief overview on behalf of the committee, noting that this is the same draft bill and that the discussion had already taken place on November 13, 2023, together with Mariko Jõeorg-Jurtšenko, advisor of the Public Law Department of the Ministry of Justice, and Ants Frosch. The government does not support the draft bill. It was finally decided whether to include the draft bill in the plenary session agenda on November 22, 2023 (postponed until today) or reject it – 8 in favor, 1 against, 0 abstentions – and to appoint Timo Suslov, a member of the Constitutional Committee, as the representative of the lead committee.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Jüri Ratas opened the negotiations and invited Anti Allas, the representative of the Social Democratic Party faction, to the Riigikogu rostrum. Allas then requested eight minutes.
Anti Allas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Anti Allas stated that he disagrees with the banning of electoral alliances in local elections, citing historical context and Supreme Court rulings, and emphasizing that democracy operates through fair competition and the preservation of opportunities for the representation of the people's will.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Jüri Ratas declares the debates closed, informs us of the leading committee's proposal to reject Bill 287 at the first reading, and we shall now begin preparations for the vote, asking our fellow members to take a position and cast their vote.
Aseesimees Jüri Ratas
AI Summary
The Riigikogu decided that the first reading of Bill 287 was rejected and the proceedings were terminated; the first item on the agenda was concluded, and they moved to the second item, but the discussion of the first reading of Bill 289 was impossible due to the absence of Jaak Valge, and the session ended.