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State Assembly of Estonia Riigikogu | |
---|---|
XV Riigikogu | |
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 23 April 1919 |
Disbanded | 1940–1991 |
Leadership | |
Chairman | |
First Vice-Chairman | |
Second Vice-Chairman | |
Structure | |
Seats | 101 |
Political groups | Government (60) Opposition (41)
|
Committees | 11 Committees
|
Elections | |
Party-list proportional representation Modified D'Hondt method | |
Last election | 5 March 2023 |
Next election | By 7 March 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Parliament building in Toompea Castle, Tallinn | |
Website | |
www.riigikogu.ee |
The Riigikogu (from Estonian riigi-, "of the state", and kogu, "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chief justice of the Supreme Court, and elects (either alone or, if necessary, together with representatives of local government within a broader electoral college) the president. Among its other tasks, the Riigikogu also ratifies significant foreign treaties that impose military and proprietary obligations and bring about changes in law, as well as approves the budget presented by the government as law, and monitors the executive power.
23 April 1919, the opening session of the Estonian Constituent Assembly is considered the founding date of the Parliament of Estonia. [1] Established under the 1920 constitution, the Riigikogu had 100 members elected for a three-year term on the basis of proportional representation. Elections were fixed for the first Sunday in May of the third year of parliament. [2] The first elections to the Riigikogu took place in 1920. From 1923 to 1932, there were four more elections to the Riigikogu. The elections were on a regional basis, without any threshold in the first two elections, but from 1926 a moderate threshold (2%) was used. The sessions of the Riigikogu take place in the Toompea Castle, where a new building in an unusual Expressionist style was erected in the former courtyard of the medieval castle in 1920–1922.
In 1933 amendments to the first Constitution was approved by referendum, where more power was given to an executive President. The following year, the President used these new powers to adjourn parliament and declared martial law to avert an alleged coup. [3] In 1937, a second constitution was approved by referendum which saw the introduction of a two chambered legislature, the Chamber of Deputies (Riigivolikogu) and the National Council (Riiginõukogu). Elections were subsequently held in 1938 where only individual candidates were allowed to run.
During the subsequent periods of Soviet occupation (1940–41), German occupation (1941–44), and the second Soviet occupation (1944–1991) the Parliament was disbanded. The premises of the Riigikogu were used by the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR during the second Soviet occupation.
In September 1992, a year after Estonia had regained its independence from the Soviet Union, elections to the Parliament took place on the basis of the third Constitution of Estonia adopted in a referendum in the summer of the same year. The 1992 constitution, which incorporates elements of the 1920 and 1938 Constitutions and explicitly asserts its continuity with the Estonian state as it existed between 1918 and 1940, sees the return of a unicameral parliament with 101 members. The most recent parliamentary elections were held on 5 March 2023. The main differences between the current system and a pure political representation, or proportional representation, system are the established 5% national threshold, and the use of a modified D'Hondt formula (the divisor is raised to the power 0.9). This modification makes for more disproportionality than does the usual form of the formula.
Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Estonian Reform Party | 190,632 | 31.24 | +2.31 | 37 | +3 | |
Conservative People's Party of Estonia | 97,966 | 16.05 | −1.71 | 17 | −2 | |
Estonian Centre Party | 93,254 | 15.28 | −7.82 | 16 | −10 | |
Estonia 200 | 81,329 | 13.33 | +8.97 | 14 | +14 | |
Social Democratic Party | 56,584 | 9.27 | −0.56 | 9 | −1 | |
Isamaa | 50,118 | 8.21 | −3.23 | 8 | −4 | |
Estonian United Left Party | 14,605 | 2.39 | +2.30 | 0 | 0 | |
Parempoolsed | 14,037 | 2.30 | New | 0 | New | |
Estonian Greens | 5,886 | 0.96 | −0.86 | 0 | 0 | |
Independents | 5,888 | 0.96 | +0.68 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 610,299 | 100.00 | – | 101 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 610,299 | 99.43 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 3,502 | 0.57 | ||||
Total votes | 613,801 | 100.00 | ||||
Registered voters/turnout | 966,129 | 63.53 | ||||
Source: National Electoral Committee [4] |
The seat allocation refers to de facto allocation, as defectors from fractions are not allowed to join other ones between elections.
29 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Isamaa | Safe Home | Popular Front | Moderates | Independence | ERP | Citizen | Greens | EEE |
41 | 19 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Coalition/Country | Reform | Centre | RKEI and ERSP | Moderates | Home | Right |
28 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Centre | Pro Patria | Reform | Moderates | Coalition | Country | United |
28 | 28 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 6 |
Centre | Res Publica | Reform | People's Union | Pro Patria | Moderates |
31 | 29 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
Reform | Centre | IRL | SDE | Greens | People's Union |
33 | 26 | 23 | 19 |
Reform | Centre | IRL | SDE |
30 | 27 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 7 |
Reform | Centre | SDE | IRL | EVA | EKRE |
34 | 26 | 19 | 12 | 10 |
Reform | Centre | EKRE | Isamaa | SDE |
37 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 8 |
Reform | EKRE | Centre | E200 | SDE | Isamaa |
The salary of the speaker is €8318.19 per month. [5]
Name | Period | Legislature |
---|---|---|
Otto Strandman | 4 January 1921 – 18 November 1921 | I Riigikogu [6] |
Juhan Kukk | 18 November 1921 – 20 November 1922 | I Riigikogu [6] |
Konstantin Päts | 20 November 1922 – 7 June 1923 | I Riigikogu [6] |
Jaan Tõnisson | 7 June 1923 – 27 May 1925 | II Riigikogu [6] |
August Rei | 9 June 1925 – 22 June 1926 | II Riigikogu [6] |
Karl Einbund | 22 June 1926 – 19 July 1932 | III Riigikogu, IV Riigikogu, V Riigikogu [6] |
Jaan Tõnisson | 19 July 1932 – 18 May 1933 | V Riigikogu [6] |
Karl Einbund | 18 May 1933 – 29 August 1934 | V Riigikogu [6] |
Rudolf Penno | 28 September 1934 – 31 December 1937 | V Riigikogu [6] |
Name | Period | Legislature |
---|---|---|
Jüri Uluots | 21 April 1938 – 12 October 1939 | VI Riigikogu [6] |
Otto Pukk | 17 October 1939 – 5 July 1940 | VI Riigikogu [6] |
Arnold Veimer | 21 July 1940 – 25 August 1940 |
Name | Period | Legislature |
---|---|---|
Mihkel Pung | 21 April 1938 – 5 July 1940 | VI Riigikogu [6] |
Name | Period |
---|---|
Arnold Rüütel | 29 March 1990 – 5 October 1992 |
Name | Period |
---|---|
Ülo Nugis | 29 March 1990 – 5 October 1992 |
Name | Period | Legislature |
---|---|---|
Ülo Nugis | 21 October 1992 – 21 March 1995 | VII Riigikogu [6] |
Toomas Savi | 21 March 1995 – 31 March 2003 | VIII Riigikogu, IX Riigikogu [6] |
Ene Ergma | 31 March 2003 – 23 March 2006 | X Riigikogu [6] |
Toomas Varek | 23 March 2006 – 2 April 2007 | X Riigikogu [6] |
Ene Ergma | 2 April 2007 – 20 March 2014 | XI Riigikogu, XII Riigikogu [6] |
Eiki Nestor | 20 March 2014 – 4 April 2019 | XII Riigikogu, XIII Riigikogu [6] |
Henn Põlluaas | 4 April 2019 – 18 March 2021 | XIV Riigikogu [6] |
Jüri Ratas | 18 March 2021 – 10 April 2023 | XIV Riigikogu [6] |
Lauri Hussar | 10 April 2023 – present | XV Riigikogu [7] |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2020) |
Established on October 5 of 1992, the Chancellery of the Riigikogu (Estonian : Riigikogu Kantselei) is the administration supporting the Riigikogu in the performance of its constitutional functions. [8] The departments of the Chancellery perform the daily functions.
Politics in Estonia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Estonia is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in the Estonian parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government, which is led by the prime minister. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Estonia is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, and NATO.
The history of Estonia forms a part of the history of Europe. Humans settled in the region of Estonia near the end of the last glacial era, beginning from around 9000 BC. Before German crusaders invaded in the early 13th century, proto-Estonians of ancient Estonia worshipped spirits of nature. Starting with the Northern Crusades in the Middle Ages, Estonia became a battleground for centuries where Denmark, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Poland fought their many wars over controlling the important geographical position of the country as a gateway between East and West.
Otto August Strandman was an Estonian politician, who served as Prime Minister (1919) and State Elder of Estonia (1929–1931).
The prime minister of Estonia is the head of government of the Republic of Estonia. The prime minister is nominated by the president after appropriate consultations with the parliamentary factions and confirmed by the parliament (Riigikogu). In case of disagreement, the parliament can reject the president's nomination and choose their own candidate. In practice, since the prime minister must maintain the confidence of parliament in order to remain in office, they are usually the leader of the senior partner in the governing coalition. The current prime minister is Kaja Kallas of the Reform Party. She took the office on 26 January 2021 following the resignation of Jüri Ratas.
Konstantin Päts was an Estonian statesman and the country's president in 1938–1940. Päts was one of the most influential politicians of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia, and during the two decades prior to World War II he also served five times as the country's prime minister. After the 16–17 June 1940 Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia, President Päts remained formally in office for over a month, until he was forced to resign, imprisoned by the new Stalinist regime, and deported to the USSR, where he died in 1956.
Estonia elects a legislature on the national level. The Riigikogu has 101 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation with a 5% electoral threshold. A head of state – the president – is elected for a five-year term by parliament or an electoral college. Locally, Estonia elects local government councils, which vary in size. Election law states the minimum size of a council depending on the size of municipality. Local government councils are elected by proportional representation too.
The president of the Republic of Estonia is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid.
Jaan Tõnisson was an Estonian statesman, serving as the Prime Minister of Estonia twice during 1919 to 1920, as State Elder from 1927 to 1928 and in 1933, and as Foreign Minister of Estonia from 1931 to 1932.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Estonia since 1 January 2024. The government elected in the March 2023 election, led by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and consisting of the Reform Party, the Social Democrats and Estonia 200, vowed to legalize same-sex marriage. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples was introduced to the Riigikogu in May 2023, and was approved in a final reading by 55 votes to 34 on 20 June. It was signed into law by President Alar Karis on 27 June, and took effect on 1 January 2024. Estonia was the first Baltic state, the twentieth country in Europe, and the 35th in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.
The Constitution of Estonia is the fundamental law of the Republic of Estonia and establishes the state order as that of a democratic republic where the supreme power is vested in its citizens. The first Constitution was adopted by the freely elected Estonian Constituent Assembly on 15 June 1920 and came into force on 21 December 1920. Heavily amended on 24 January 1934, following a referendum in 1933, it was in force until the second Constitution was enacted on 1 January 1938. It remained in force, de facto, until 16 June 1940, when the Soviet Union occupied Estonia and, de jure, until 28 June 1992, when the third and current Constitution of the Republic of Estonia was adopted by referendum.
The history of Estonia from 1918 to 1940 spanned the interwar period from the end of the Estonian War of Independence until the outbreak of World War II. It covers the years of parliamentary democracy, the Great Depression and the period of corporatist authoritarian rule.
The Congress of Estonia was an innovative grassroots parliament established in Estonia in 1990–1992 as a part of the process of regaining of independence from the Soviet Union. It also challenged the power and authority of the pre-existing quasi-parliament in the country, called the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR, which had been imposed on Estonia after the Soviet invasion, occupation and illegal annexation of Estonia in 1940. The Congress of Estonia declared that it represented the highest authority on questions of Estonian statehood and citizenship, deriving this authority from the consent and initiative of the citizens of Estonia. The aim of the Congress was to restore Estonian independence based on the principle of legal continuity, with the pre-1940 Republic of Estonia, which had been established in 1918, as the foundation.
The three Baltic countries, or the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – are held to have continued as legal entities under international law while under the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1991, as well as during the German occupation in 1941–1944/1945. The prevailing opinion accepts the Baltic thesis of illegal occupation and the actions of the USSR are regarded as contrary to international law in general and to the bilateral treaties between the USSR and the three Baltic countries in particular.
Hans Johannes Kruus was an Estonian historian, academic and politician. As well as sitting in the Estonian parliament and the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR, he was Deputy Prime Minister of Estonia in 1940 and Foreign Minister of the Estonian SSR between 1944 and 1950. He was also Rector of the University of Tartu in 1940–41 and in 1944.
Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 5 March 2023 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu. The officially published election data indicate the victory of the Reform Party, which won 37 seats in total, while the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) placed second with 17 seats. The Centre Party won 16 seats, a loss of 10, while Estonia 200 won 14 seats, gaining representation in the Riigikogu.
The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR was the formal rubber stamp legislative body of the Estonian SSR without any substantive meaning, which was formally elected in general elections, but whose members were essentially appointed by the leadership of the Communist Party. Before 1988, the Supreme Soviet had no meaningful political role. After its first democratic elections on 18 March 1990, the institution was renamed the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia on 8 May 1990.
VI Riigikogu was the sixth legislature of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). The legislature was elected after the 1938 elections. It sat between 7 April 1938 and 5 July 1940, after which the Soviet Union occupied Estonia for the first time. Estonia's previous unicameral parliamentary system had been suspended in 1934 and formally dissolved in 1937; on 1 January 1938, the country's Third Constitution came into force, creating a bicameral National Assembly, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies (Riigivolikogu) and the National Council (Riiginõukogu). These were de facto dissolved when the Soviet Union occupied Estonia and established the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic.
The political history of Estonia covers the political events and trends in the country throughout its historical period.
The Estonian coup d'état of 1934 was a bloodless military coup organized on March 12, 1934 by State Elder candidates Johan Laidoner, Konstantin Päts, and August Rei, who took part in the State Elder elections scheduled for April of the same year, during which Lieutenant General Laidoner and acting State Elder Päts had several Vaps leaders and activists, supporters of the fourth State Elder candidate Andres Larka, arrested. Päts, in violation of the constitution, appointed Laidoner as the commander-in-chief of the defense forces and decreed a stop to the election process for State Elder and the Riigikogu.