Session Profile: Helir-Valdor Seeder

The most crucial issue is amending the constitution to restrict voting rights in local elections exclusively to Estonian citizens, a necessity driven by the changed security environment. The speaker strongly backs this change, stressing that the right to form political power must reside with the constitutional authority, and that this is not simply a matter of local governance. They criticize the parliament's previous inaction and the time wasted in addressing this vital security aspect. Although the compromise proposal is viewed as imperfect from a security perspective, it is being supported for the sake of achieving broad consensus.

The speaker demonstrates profound expertise in the fields of constitutional and electoral law, directly linking them to aspects of national security. They utilize historical precedents (the entry into force of the 1992 constitution and the 1999 amendment to the electoral law) to support their arguments, and they compare Estonia's situation with the practices of other countries (Latvia, Germany, France). Furthermore, they possess detailed knowledge of the bill's legislative process and previous political initiatives dating back to 2022.

The tone of the speech is very serious, formal, and urgent, emphasizing that this is an "historic moment and choice." The appeal is primarily logical and fact-based, relying on security analysis (war near the borders) and legal justification (it is impossible to resolve without amending the constitution). Figurative expressions are used, such as "an inside-out sunrise or sunset" when describing the compromise, and the audience is urged to vote according to their conscience.

The speaker is active during the plenary session, raising substantive questions, delivering long and detailed reports, and making procedural motions for votes. This demonstrates participation in key legislative debates and a readiness to dedicate time to thoroughly explain their positions (by requesting eight minutes of speaking time).

Criticism is aimed at both the previous and current compositions of parliament for delaying their reaction to the security situation for too long. Separate criticism is leveled against the 2023 coalition, which misled the public by promising to find solutions that are legally impossible (specifically, restricting the voting rights of only citizens of aggressor states without amending the constitution). The criticism is policy- and procedure-based, focusing on inefficiency and unrealistic promises.

The speaker is willing to compromise to ensure broad-based support for the constitutional amendment, even though they consider the compromise proposal imperfect from a security standpoint. They urge their colleagues to set aside party lines and the divisions between the opposition and the coalition, and support the joint amendment proposal. This demonstrates a pragmatic approach to achieving consensus on crucial national issues.

The focus is clearly on the national and international level, addressing Estonia's constitutional authority and security against the backdrop of Russian aggression. The practices of other countries (Latvia, Germany, France, Romania) and internationally unrecognized territories (South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Palestine) are also mentioned. The local level is only discussed within the context of forming political power, including in the Estonian capital.

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The speaker focuses on the intersection of social and security issues, specifically addressing the voting rights of third-country nationals and stateless persons. They advocate for restricting these voting rights to establish a secure and controllable environment for the future and, crucially, to reduce Russia’s incentive to interfere in Estonia’s internal elections. Immigration (Ukrainian war refugees) is also cited as a factor that increases the potential pool of third-country nationals eligible to vote.

The main legislative priority is amending the constitution concerning the right to vote in local elections. The speaker supports the original initiative (Isamaa 2022) and is an active proponent of the current compromise proposal, stressing that the amendment can be implemented before the next local elections, citing previous instances of rapid legislative changes. The objective is to establish a secure and controllable legal environment.