First Reading of the Draft Act Amending the Local Government Council Election Act (290 SE)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 3rd session, plenary session
Date: 2024-03-06 20:48
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 54
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 6m
AI Summaries: 54/54 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
On the agenda of the Riigikogu session was Bill 290, initiated by the faction of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), concerning amendments to the Local Government Council Election Act. The bill aimed to restrict the right to vote in local elections only to citizens of Estonia and the European Union, withdrawing it from all third-country nationals and stateless persons. The rapporteur for the bill, Martin Helme, emphasized that the right to vote is an exclusive citizen's privilege, and the current situation, where third-country nationals residing in Estonia can vote, contradicts the principles of a nation-state and threatens security, especially considering the growth of mass immigration. Helme sharply criticized the coalition's plan, particularly that of the Reform Party, to restrict voting rights only to Russian and Belarusian citizens, calling it cynical political-technological signaling that fails to solve the actual problem.
The debate highlighted that granting voting rights to non-citizens has created a situation where forces hostile to the native population gain power in local governments (referencing the example of Tallinn), and that local government decisions (regarding education, culture, and planning) are directly linked to national security. Members of the EKRE faction unanimously supported the position that restricting the right to vote would motivate immigrants to apply for Estonian citizenship and integrate. However, the leading committee, the Constitutional Committee, proposed rejecting the bill, citing the narrower plan set out in the coalition agreement to deal only with suspending the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian citizens. As a result of the vote, the bill was rejected.
Decisions Made 1
Draft Bill 290 (Draft Act amending the Local Government Council Election Act) was rejected in the first reading. Thirty-eight members of the Riigikogu voted in favor of the proposal, and ten were against.
Most Active Speaker
The most active politician was Martin Helme (EKRE faction), who presented the bill and answered 11 questions. Helme represented a right-wing, national-conservative position, stressing that the right to vote must be exclusively the privilege of Estonian citizens. He criticized the government’s policies regarding mass immigration and lax voting rights, viewing them as a threat to the survival of the Estonian nation-state and internal security. Helme deemed the coalition’s narrow approach (targeting only Russian and Belarusian citizens) both hypocritical and insufficient.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Today's address concerns the draft bill amending the Local Government Council Election Act, initiated by the EKRE faction. Martin Helme is now invited to the Riigikogu podium to deliver his speech. Prior to his presentation, Henn Põlluaas posed a question regarding the procedure of the sitting.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Põlluaas stated that the opposition's draft legislation has been repeatedly rejected, and he asked whether the coalition had ever approved any of them.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks Henn Põlluaas and notes that the vote on improving political culture is an example of supporting an opposition initiative, and now invites Martin Helme to speak from the Riigikogu podium.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that suffrage in local elections should be restricted solely to Estonian and European Union citizens, denying this right to third-country nationals. He bases this stance on the nation-state-centric fundamental principles of the constitution and the context of the 2016 migration waves, warning that expanded voting rights could provide an opportunity for pro-Kremlin influence during the presidential election.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanked the presenter, announced that there would be many questions, and called upon Henn Põlluaas to speak.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
In his speech, Henn Põlluaas criticizes the coalition's plan to restrict the local government voting rights of third-country nationals, questioning whether this represents a genuine intent to amend the constitution or is simply more political bluster.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme accuses the Reform Party of organizing a cynical, divisive political-technological game aimed at restricting voting rights and allowing only citizens and citizens of European Union member states to vote. He simultaneously emphasized that the mechanism for local government elections is enshrined in law, which the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) has the power to amend.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi calls upon Mart Helme to speak.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme said that the media has been discussing the revocation of voting rights for Russian and Belarusian citizens in local elections, but he does not intend to hold negotiations with them, or with the Reform Party or Kaja Kallas. He criticized the Reform Party’s attitude as arrogance and questioned whether their position had been consulted.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that the Reform Party's proposed restriction on the voting rights of local government electors is a weak and poorly conceived plan, demonstrating a lack of consensus and arrogance. He stresses that they possess a simple, clear, and actionable draft bill that other parties should immediately come on board to pass.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The organizer invites Arvo Aller to the stage.
Arvo Aller
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Arvo Aller asserts that the Reform Party's activities amount to taking credit for others' achievements (or using borrowed plumes), highlights the issue of restricting the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian citizens, and questions whether its connection to Estonian security is direct or indirect, pointing specifically to the role of local municipalities.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme confirms that education, culture, and planning are primarily the responsibility of local government, and the state centralizing control over these areas is a bad plan. He emphasizes the importance of the border security concept and energy policy, and criticizes the Reform Party's list, asking why the issue of Mali and Wagner was left out, because Russia and its allies pose a real threat, not merely propaganda.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi invites Helle-Moonika Helme to speak.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helme stresses that Estonians must possess the fundamental and inherent right to live and to organize their lives and politics through democratic elections, and asks how to explain the contradictory assertion that these rights cannot be revoked when family benefits have simultaneously been taken away.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that the policies of liberals and globalists restrict fundamental freedoms, expand voting rights to immigrants, and thereby strip Estonians of control over the state and strengthen the status of the host nation, turning Estonia into a globalist province.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi invited Anti Poolamets to speak.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets asserts that Latvia's population policy is more successful than Estonia's, which is reflected in better integration. Furthermore, Latvia serves as a role model for us as a neighboring state, and their policies are bearing fruit.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that the demographic and immigration policy paths of Estonia and Latvia have diverged over the years: Estonia liberalized its population policy and opened its borders during the war in Ukraine, whereas Latvia implemented a stricter immigration policy and a tighter language and nationalism policy. As a result, Latvians and Lithuanians have economically surpassed us.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi called upon Mart Helme to speak.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme claims that the influence of liberalized immigration policy and Muslim minorities has seized control at the level of some European municipalities, and in Sweden and elsewhere, has led to regions becoming uninhabitable. These areas, he states, are plagued daily by shootings, honor killings, the prostitution trade, arms and drug trafficking, and the diminishing decision-making rights of the indigenous population.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanks the listeners.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
A parallel with us is mentioned in the speech.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that the right to vote is a privilege for citizens and must remain restricted only to citizens. He also emphasizes the need for a much stricter immigration policy, warning that areas slipping out of control and the growth of the Muslim community could lead to problems in Estonia and elsewhere in Europe similar to those seen in Sweden.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks Evelin Poolamets to come and speak.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The speaker asked whether the right to vote in local government elections could be a motivator when applying for Estonian citizenship and studying the Estonian constitution and language, and whether this law, upon entering into force, would create a larger wave of citizenship applications.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that starting from February 2022, people living in Estonia must choose whether they are on Estonia’s side, and if they are not, they have no business being here; he emphasizes that true integration means assimilation within a couple of generations, so that people would look, behave, and think like Estonians.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi called Leo Kunnas to the stage.
Leo Kunnas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Leo Kunnas asks how large a proportion of the foreign-origin population could become permanently established over the course of a century, considering the 0.1% annual quota (or about 1,300 people), and how much of that quota has already been filled.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
According to Martin Helme, Estonia's national character has reached a critical point, and we are no longer capable of seriously integrating or assimilating anyone. Therefore, the real solution is zero immigration and encouraging the emigration of non-indigenous people, because otherwise we will move toward mass immigration and won't be able to cope within the next 60 years.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech focused on Leo Kunnas.
Leo Kunnas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The speaker asks whether we have substantially met that 130,000 quota over the last 80 years, and if that means we have fully utilized it.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claimed that the population figures are a bluff, asserting that approximately 36,000 people have permanently moved to Estonia since 2016, plus another 100,000 during the war in Ukraine—totaling around 130,000. He stated that this influx has significantly altered the demographic composition of Estonia, resulting in the Estonian language being heard less often and the typical appearance of Estonians being less noticeable.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech included words of thanks, there were no questions, and the report on behalf of the leading committee will be presented by Urve Tiidus, a member of the Constitutional Committee.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus announced that the draft bill initiated by EKRE to amend the Local Government Council Election Act aims to restrict voting rights exclusively to citizens of Estonia and the European Union; procedural decisions were adopted in the committee, and she was appointed as the representative of the lead committee, and although the schedule has been postponed, the draft bill is on the agenda today.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Deputy Chairman thanked the assembly and announced that there were some questions, and invited Helle-Moonika Helme to take the floor.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
He/She asked the commission whether discussions had been held with constitutional law experts regarding who in Estonia should have the right to determine our life and politics—ethnic Estonians or all those who settle here—and whether the topic addressed the fact that we only have one Estonia.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus stated that the coalition agreement for 2023–2027 includes a substantive provision to develop a legal framework, in cooperation with constitutional law experts, aimed at suspending the voting rights of citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus. However, the commission did not have constitutional law experts present, and the government has not yet made any decisions on this issue; the session was held on November 21.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Arvo Aller is called to speak.
Arvo Aller
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
In his speech, Arvo Aller urged both the coalition partners and the opposition to jointly pass the law concerning the topical issue. He recommended expanding the coalition agreement and using the fulfillment of this specific point to signal that everyone is able to contribute.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus stated that she is neither a member of the Government of the Republic nor employed by the Ministry of Justice. The response was provided for the committee session on November 21st, and she is unaware of the current situation.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi invited Henn Põlluaas to speak.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas emphasizes that decisions should primarily originate from the committee and must be justified. He claims that the draft bill could grant residents of third countries the right to participate in elections, and asks what arguments the committee had for rejecting the bill, pointing out that opposition draft bills tend to be rejected a priori.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus stated that an urgent issue concerning the adjustment of the local government council's electorate was raised in the commission. While there were statements that some matters are handled quickly and that they did not wish to address this specific issue, she confirmed that it will indeed be addressed, and the ultimate solution hinges on the efforts of the government and the Ministry of Justice.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi offers his thanks and announces the end of the question period, subsequently opening the floor for debate, and requesting Mart Helme to chair the discussions on behalf of the EKRE faction.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme recalled the era of re-independence and the strict citizenship policy, which ultimately granted people holding residency permits the right to participate in local elections. This, in turn, led to demographic and political shifts in Tallinn and the Ida-Viru municipalities, demonstrating that history never truly ends.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi requests three additional minutes.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme accuses the Reform Party and the Social Democrats of engaging in a political-technological ping-pong match over the issue of voting rights, emphasizing that the real solution must come exclusively as the variant proposed by his party, and not as a compromise stuck between two stools.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
He thanked.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme states that if the coalition members and the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament sitting right behind them continue to claim that substantive work cannot be done, he is now offering them the opportunity to do that work, and they are refusing it.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
He/She thanks his/her colleague.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme asks why you are refusing and why you do not want to solve a problem that is accumulating in the future in a way that would provide a genuine solution.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi announced the conclusion of the negotiations and called for a vote on the leading committee’s proposal to reject draft bill 290 at the first reading.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Riigikogu voted down Draft Bill 290 at the first reading: 38 in favor, 10 against, 0 abstentions; the proceedings are dropped, and today's sitting is concluded.