The Estonian Riigikogu, or Parliament, is made up of 101 members, elected from 12 separate geographic areas, or electoral districts . The constituency division is based on the counties of Estonia, of which some are combined or divided depending on the size of the population. The capital city Tallinn is divided into three electoral districts based on administrative districts within the city. [1] In the elections to the European Parliament, Estonia has only one national electoral district. [2]
 | Code | Electoral district | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haabersti, Põhja-Tallinn and Kristiine districts of Tallinn | 10 | |
| 2 | Kesklinn, Lasnamäe and Pirita districts of Tallinn | 13 | |
| 3 | Mustamäe and Nõmme districts of Tallinn | 8 | |
| 4 | Harju- (excl. Tallinn) and Raplamaa | 15 | |
| 5 | Hiiu-, Lääne- and Saaremaa | 6 | |
| 6 | Lääne-Virumaa | 5 | |
| 7 | Ida-Virumaa | 7 | |
| 8 | Järva- and Viljandimaa | 7 | |
| 9 | Jõgeva- and Tartumaa (excl. Tartu) | 7 | |
| 10 | Tartu | 8 | |
| 11 | Võru-, Valga- and Põlvamaa | 8 | |
| 12 | Pärnumaa | 7 | |
| Total | 101 [3] | ||
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.
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.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Estonia have advanced significantly over the course of the last few decades, especially since the turn of the 21st century. Among the countries which after World War II were controlled by the former Soviet Union, independent Estonia is now considered to be one of the most liberal when it comes to LGBTQ rights. There is a notable age gap, as younger people tend to be more tolerant and liberal, while older people tend to be more socially conservative.
Riigihoidja was the name of the office of the head of state and head of the caretaker government of Estonia from 3 September 1937 to 24 April 1938. The first person to hold this position was Konstantin Päts, five time former State Elder. His eventual successor ex officio was Johan Laidoner, then Commander-in-Chief.
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.
Siim Kabrits is an Estonian entrepreneur and former politician. He was a member of Riigikogu from April 6, 2011, to March 26, 2014.
Indrek Saar is an Estonian actor and politician. He has been the leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2019 to 2022 and the Minister of Culture of Estonia from 2015 to 2019.
Yoko Alender is an Estonian architect and politician, member of the XIII, XIV and XV Riigikogu, publisher, educator. Yoko Alender is standing as a candidate in the June 2024 European Parliament elections on the Reform Party list.
Electoral district no. 1 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The electoral district was established in 1995 following the re-organisation of the electoral districts in Tallinn. It is conterminous with the districts of Haabersti, Kristiine and Põhja-Tallinn in Tallinn. The district currently elects 10 of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 85,469 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 2 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The electoral district was established in 1995 following the re-organisation of the electoral districts in Tallinn. It is conterminous with the districts of Kesklinn, Lasnamäe and Pirita in Tallinn. The district currently elects 13 of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 111,135 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 3 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The electoral district was established in 1995 following the re-organisation of the electoral districts in Tallinn. It is conterminous with the districts of Mustamäe and Nõmme in Tallinn. The district currently elects eight of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 71,882 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 4 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established as electoral district no. 5 in 1992 when the Riigikogu was re-established following Estonia's independence from the Soviet Union. It was renamed electoral district no. 4 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts. It is conterminous with the counties of Harju and Rapla. The district currently elects 15 of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 133,437 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 5 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established as electoral district no. 6 in 1992 when the Riigikogu was re-established following Estonia's independence from the Soviet Union. It was renamed electoral district no. 5 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts. It is conterminous with the counties of Hiiu, Lääne and Saare. The district currently elects six of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 51,093 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 6 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established in 2003 when the existing electoral district no. 6 was split into two. It is conterminous with the county of Lääne-Viru. The district currently elects five of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 44,583 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 7 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. Established in 1992 when the Riigikogu was re-established following Estonia's independence from the Soviet Union, the district was abolished in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts only to be re-established in 2003. It is conterminous with the county of Ida-Viru. The district currently elects seven of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 56,836 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 8 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established as electoral district no. 7 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts. It was renamed electoral district no. 8 in 2003 following another re-organisation of electoral districts. It is conterminous with the counties of Järva and Viljandi. The district currently elects seven of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 61,657 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 9 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established as electoral district no. 8 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts. It was renamed electoral district no. 9 in 2003 following another re-organisation of electoral districts. It is conterminous with the counties of Jõgeva and Tartu. The district currently elects seven of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 65,898 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 10 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established as electoral district no. 9 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts. It was renamed electoral district no. 10 in 2003 following another re-organisation of electoral districts. It is conterminous with the municipality of Tartu. The district currently elects eight of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 67,525 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 11 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established in 1992 when the Riigikogu was re-established following Estonia's independence from the Soviet Union. It was renamed electoral district no. 10 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts but reverted to electoral district no. 11 in 2003. It is conterminous with the counties of Põlva, Valga and Võru. The district currently elects eight of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 70,706 registered electors.
Electoral district no. 12 is one of the 12 multi-member electoral districts of the Riigikogu, the national legislature of Estonia. The district was established in 1992 when the Riigikogu was re-established following Estonia's independence from the Soviet Union. It was renamed electoral district no. 11 in 1995 following the re-organisation of electoral districts but reverted to electoral district no. 12 in 2003. It is conterminous with the county of Pärnu. The district currently elects seven of the 101 members of the Riigikogu using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 parliamentary election it had 66,852 registered electors.