The subject has been under discussion for more than a year and a half in Estonia. On Thursday, November 7, the majority deputies tabled before the Riigikogu (Parliament) a draft amendment to the Constitution aimed at prohibiting Russian and Belarusian citizens holding a permanent residence permit in Estonia from the right to vote in local elections. A measure which arouses much controversy, in a country of 1.3 million inhabitants where Russian speakers represent 31% of the population. This label includes Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian nationals, Estonians with Russian roots, as well as stateless people.
In their letter of intent, the deputies of the coalition – made up of the Reform Party and Estonia 200, two liberal groups, as well as the social democrats – explain that they want to reserve the right to vote “to citizens of countries that share democratic values and common security interests with Estonia, as well as to stateless persons residing in Estonia, who have no loyalty or other obligations to another country”. Even if the text does not specify it, it primarily targets Russian and Belarusian citizens.
Currently, around 83,500 Russian nationals reside in the small Baltic state. Some arrived decades ago. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, their loyalty has been questioned and they are increasingly seen as a national security risk.
In an article published on the EER channel website on November 4, MP Peeter Tali (Estonia 200) notes that “75% of Russian citizens who voted in Estonia [lors de l’élection présidentielle russe de mars] voted for Putin, a dictator internationally wanted for war crimes ». However, he forgets to mention that only 2,539 people came to the Russian embassy in Tallinn to slip a ballot into the ballot box.
About-face by the Social Democrats
The proposed constitutional reform concerns not only Russians and Belarusians, but all foreigners. With three exceptions: citizens of member countries of the European Union (EU), those of the States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as stateless persons, a group whose inclusion in the law was the subject of tough negotiations between coalition partners.
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Source: Lemonde