Agenda Profile: Helir-Valdor Seeder

Draft law amending the State Audit Act, the Political Parties Act, and other laws (control body for political party funding) – first reading.

2025-06-04

15th Riigikogu, 5th session, plenary session

Political Position
The political focus is currently on the reform of party financing oversight, strongly supporting the replacement of the ERJK (Supervisory Committee on Party Financing) with the National Audit Office (Bill 599 SE). The main stance is that the current system is unfair, unsystematic, and suffers from a culture of political score-settling, given that the ERJK essentially exercises control over itself. The objective is to ensure the fair and equal application of rules to all politicians, and this position is strongly policy- and system-based.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker exhibits profound expertise concerning the mechanisms for supervising political party financing and existing legislative gaps, specifically drawing attention to issues involving electoral coalitions and NGOs that are effectively transitioning into political parties. They cite concrete examples (e.g., Reinsalu, Saks, Ossinovski, Jaanson) of the system's uneven implementation and analyze the differences in mandate, resources, and cost-effectiveness between the ERJK (Supervisory Committee on Party Financing) and the National Audit Office.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is analytical and critical, focusing on logical arguments and illustrating the system's shortcomings with concrete examples. The tone is formal and persuasive, employing sharp phrases like "the culture of owning" (or "the culture of putting down") and highlighting the issue of systemic disorganization to justify radical reform.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
The data is limited to one speech given in the Riigikogu during the first reading of Draft Act 599 SE.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The primary criticism is directed against the ERJK, whose activities are deemed unsystematic, unfair, and essentially a form of self-control, where politicians police themselves. The criticism is procedural and politically charged, as the ERJK is accused of cherry-picking individual cases and engaging in political score-settling. He/She also notes the State Audit Office’s reluctance to accept the new task.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The speaker acknowledges that the topic is complex and agrees with other colleagues and the National Audit Office regarding the complicated nature of the issue. He calls upon colleagues to support the draft bill and points to the possibility of improving the situation within the framework of another pending draft bill, demonstrating an openness to finding solutions.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is exclusively at the national level, addressing issues of democratic governance and the oversight of party financing.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
Economic perspectives address the financial efficiency of the state, stressing that delegating oversight to the State Audit Office would be financially more cost-effective for the country. This is because it would avoid the duplication of competencies, and the State Audit Office already possesses the necessary resources.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
Insufficient data.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is on the draft bill (599 SE) amending the State Audit Office Act and the Political Parties Act, the purpose of which is to transfer the functions of the supervisory body for the financing of political parties to the National Audit Office. The speaker is a strong supporter of the bill, emphasizing the need to also regulate the rules governing the entry of electoral alliances and NGOs into politics.

1 Speeches Analyzed