Agenda Profile: Leo Kunnas
Second Reading of the Draft Act (344 SE) on the Amendment of the Riigikogu Election Act and Related Amendment of Other Acts
2024-04-17
15th Riigikogu, 3rd session, plenary sitting
Political Position
The political position is strongly opposed to the existing e-voting system, stressing the deficiencies in its reliability and transparency. This stance is value-driven and focuses on the integrity of the democratic process, highlighting that the system has only been adopted by Russia, and not by Western democracies. The speaker demands the implementation of fundamental security measures to ensure basic trustworthiness.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates profound expertise in the technical and legal specifics of the e-voting system, referencing concrete statutory provisions and system components (e.g., the collector, processor, and reader components). He emphasizes the need for internationally accredited systems, risk analyses, technical penetration testing, and a new reliability assurance component. He also addresses the complexity of e-identity and vote secrecy within the context of mathematical verifiability.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is sharply critical, combative, and deeply personal, expressing distrust toward the system. The speaker employs strong historical and geopolitical analogies (Russia, Stalin, KGB Captain Ilyashevich) to underscore the gravity of the situation and the dishonesty of the opposing party's actions. He presents logical arguments (a list of specific proposed amendments) and uses rhetorical questions to challenge the uniqueness of Estonia's e-elections.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
No data available.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The opposition's position is directed against the actions of the Riigikogu committee, which labeled substantive amendments as "insincere" and illegally bundled them together. The criticism is both procedural and political, accusing the opposing side of disregarding the need to ensure elementary security and transparency. The opponents' actions are being linked to the practices of authoritarian regimes, referencing Stalin's quote regarding the importance of counting votes.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The speaker focuses on defending his detailed amendments, which were rejected by the committee. He emphasizes the necessity of involving international observers and representatives of all political parties registered in Estonia in the system setup and vote counting to ensure trustworthiness. He calls upon the chamber to support his Proposal No. 31, seeking broader backing for his security-enhancing ideas.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is strongly international and national, centering on comparing Estonia's e-voting system with other democratic nations (the USA, Europe, Japan, Canada) and with authoritarian states (Russia). It uses the international context (20 years of development) as an argument to demonstrate the system's deficiencies.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
No data available.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
The primary social issue is the security of democratic processes and voter identification. He/She supports identity verification based on facial recognition to ensure the integrity of the election and prevent voter fraud.
6 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is on the draft bill amending the Riigikogu Election Act (344 SE), to which he submitted numerous detailed amendments aimed at increasing the security and transparency of e-voting. He is an active proponent, demanding the inclusion of an international audit and the involvement of political party representatives in the system's setup and vote counting.
6 Speeches Analyzed