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 | |
| 101 | |||
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 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. 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.
Riigihoidja was the name of the office of the head of state and head of government of Estonia from 3 September 1937 to 24 April 1938. The only 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 Government of the Republic of Estonia is the cabinet of Estonia. Under the Constitution, it exercises executive power pursuant to the Constitution and laws of Estonia.
Elektrooniline Riigi Teataja is the web-based outlet for publication of laws and official announcements of the Republic of Estonia. It is modelled after the older paper-based publication, Riigi Teataja. Under Estonian law, Elektrooniline Riigi Teataja is since 1 June 2002 considered the authoritative reference source for laws of Estonia. Just like Riigi Teataja, eRT is published by Riigikantselei.
Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 3 March 2019. The newly elected 101 members of the 14th Riigikogu assembled at Toompea Castle in Tallinn within ten days of the election. The Reform Party remained the largest party, gaining four seats for a total of 34 and the Conservative People's Party had the largest gain overall, increasing their seat count by 12 to a total of 19 seats.
The next parliamentary elections will be held in Estonia by 5 March 2023 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu.
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.
An indirect election took place in Estonia on 30 and 31 August 2021 to elect the president of Estonia, who is the country's head of state. The Riigikogu — the Parliament of Estonia — elected Alar Karis to serve in the office and he was sworn in as the 6th president on 11 October 2021. The incumbent, Kersti Kaljulaid, was eligible to seek reelection to a second, and final, term but failed to gain the endorsement of at least 21 MPs, which is required in order for a candidate to register, as she was outspoken against some of the policies of the government, who thus denied her support.
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.