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An election for the Members of the European Parliament from Estonia as part of the 2024 European Parliament election will take place on June 9. [1] [2] [3]
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An election for the Members of the European Parliament from Estonia as part of the 2024 European Parliament election will take place on June 9. [1] [2] [3]
In March 2023 Estonia held its latest national election, and in that occasion the Reform Party managed to maintain its position as biggest party in parliament, while its leader and incumbent Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was reconfirmed in the office with the support of the Social Democratic Party and Estonia 200.
In recent months the party's performance in opinion polls has suffered significantly from the party's decision to back several tax increases unpopular with the economically libreal voter base as well as due to a scandal involving party leader Kaja Kallas. In August 2023, she came under the international spotlight after it was revealed that her husband held a significant share in a transportation company, Stark Logistics, which continued business with Russia despite Kallas's previous calls for Estonian companies to cease operations in Russia in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [4] Kallas tried to minimise the affair and ignored the calls for her resignation from her political opponents, calling the controversy a "witch-hunt". [5]
At the same time she has appeared in the news as a prominent figure of the Renew Europe group and therefore as one of the frontrunners to be ALDE's Spitzenkandidat for the European Commission's presidency. She has also been linked to the post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, whose current holder Josep Borrell will retire at the end of this mandate, or to the post of Estonia's European Commissioner, currently held by Kadri Simson (Centre Party). [6] [7] On 7 March 2024, Kallas announced that she rejected the offer from ALDE to be the alliance's Spitzenkandidat. [8]
Incumbent MEP Andrus Ansip is not running for re-election. [9]
Since the 2023 Riigikogu election, the Social Democrats have remained the only party in the government coalition to avoid losing support in polling. This has been attributed to the party members' public statements, especially those of the leader of the party Lauri Läänemets, setting the Social Democrats apart from the two economically liberal parties in the coalition. Moreover, the party gained MPs and members from the defections out of the Centre Party, including seeing its number of MPs increase from 9 to 13. [10] [11]
In September 2023 Mihhail Kõlvart, then-mayor of Tallinn, won Centre Party's leadership election. His victory marked a significant change in the party's direction, choosing to focus more on its Russophone electoral base and shifting to socially conservative and economically syncretic positions, with the party becoming seen as one specifically of the niche Russian minority concentrated in the capital Tallinn and Ida-Viru County. [12] [13] [14] As a result, in the following months the previous party leader Jüri Ratas and several other party members defected to other political forces, leaving Centre Party with one third of its initial parliamentary representation (down to only 6 MPs) and with an increasingly weaker position in the most recent opinion polls. [15] [16] [17]
Since August 2023, Isamaa has seen its support rocket to unprecedented historic highs. [18] [19] These gains in polling are mainly attributed to the party gaining 3 MPs and several other members defecting from the Centre Party, EKRE being seen as too extreme of an option as an alternative to the government coalition and the success of the newly elected party leader, Urmas Reinsalu, in attracting disgruntled Reform Party voters unhappy with its plans to raise taxes. [20] [21] [22]
Compared to last election, Estonia is entitled to one more MEP has already been assigned in 2020 in the occasion of the redistribution post Brexit. The 7 members are elected through open list proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency with seats allocated through D'Hondt method and no electoral threshold. [23]
Both Estonian citizens and other non-Estonian EU citizens residing in the country are entitled to vote in the European elections in Estonian. No registration is needed for Estonian citizens, while other EU citizens residing in Estonia are required to register with the National Electoral Committee only if it's their first time voting in the country. Estonian citizens residing abroad can choose between three options to vote: in person in an embassy or consulate, online or by mail, with only the latter procedure requiring registration. In addition, those eligible to vote must turn 18 years old by election day at the latest. [24]
The table shows the detailed composition of the Estonian seats at the European Parliament as of 1 February 2024.
| EP Group | Seats | Party | Seats | MEPs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renew Europe | 3 / 7 | Estonian Reform Party | 2 | |||
| Estonian Centre Party | 1 | |||||
| Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats | 2 / 7 | Social Democratic Party | 2 | |||
| Identity and Democracy | 1 / 7 | Conservative People's Party of Estonia | 1 | |||
| European People's Party | 1 / 7 | Isamaa | 1 | |||
| Total | 7 | |||||
| Source: European Parliament | ||||||
The National Electoral Committee registered 66 candidates from 9 parties and 5 independents. [25]
Incumbent MEP Andrus Ansip is not running for re-election.
| Party | EP Group | Slogan and manifesto (external link) | Other slogan(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform Party | RE | A safe Estonia in Europe [26] (Estonian : Kindel Eesti Euroopas) | |||
| Social Democratic Party | S&D | Freedom, justice, security. [27] (Estonian : Vabadus, õiglus, julgeolek.) | A rock-solid choice! [28] (Estonian : Kaljukindel valik!) | ||
| Centre Party | RE | Stand tall, Estonia! [29] (Estonian : Selg sirgu, Eesti!) | |||
| Conservative People's Party | ID | For Estonia in Europe [30] (Estonian : Eesti eest Euroopas) | |||
| Isamaa | EPP | To the right path! [31] (Estonian : Õigele teele!) | |||
| Estonia 200 |  | Yes-people to Europe [32] (Estonian : Jah-inimesed Euroopasse) | |||
| Greens | | ||||
| Parempoolsed | | Let's defend freedom! [33] (Estonian : Kaitseme vabadust!) | |||
| Together | | ||||
The Greens originally announced a full list of 9 candidates but only paid the fee sufficient enough to register two, leading to the National Electoral Committee to register only two candidates. The party disputed the decision and sued, and as a legal remedy, the Supreme Court required the National Electoral Committee to register all 9 candidates on 14 May 2024. [34] Several other parties expressed surprise and disagreement over the decision due to the Greens effectively being able to register all of its candidates without having paid the fee for 7 of them. [35]
| 2024 European Parliament election debates in Estonia | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Organisers | P Present N Non-invitee | ||||||||
| Reform | SDE | Centre | EKRE | Isamaa | E200 | EER | Parempoolsed | Refs | ||
| 25 April | Postimees | Hanah Lahe | Tanel Kiik | Lauri Laats | Helle-Moonika Helme | N | Irja Lutsar | N | Eero Raun | [36] |
| 11 April | Eesti Televisioon | P | P | P | P | P | N | N | N | [37] |
| 22 Feb | EGM ENF | P | P | P | P | P | P | N | N | [38] |
The tables below list opinion polling results in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The seats the result would produce is shown below the result for each party.
| Polling execution | Parties | Lead | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |  Reform Renew |  SDE |  Centre |  EKRE ID |  Isamaa EPP |  | EER G/EFA |  | Others | Party | EP group | |||
| Kantar Emor | 6–15 May 2024 | 1,471 | 17.2 2 | 23.6 2 | 11.0 1 | 13.6 1 | 14.0 1 | 4.1 0 | 0.9 0 | 7.2 0 | 3.1 0 | 5.4 0 | 6.4 | 4.6 | ||
| Norstat | 29 Apr–6 May 2024 | 1,484 | 19.3 2 | 21.4 2 | 9.4 1 | 17.9 1 | 17.1 1 | 3.9 0 | 0.9 0 | 4.5 0 | 3.0 0 | 2.7 0 | 2.1 | 7.3 | ||
| Kantar Emor | 8-17 Apr 2024 | 1,484 | 18.8 2 | 20 2 | 13.8 1 | 13.8 1 | 16.8 1 | 4.7 0 | 1.5 0 | 6 0 | — | 4.5 0 | 1.2 | 12.6 | ||
| Norstat | 11-15 Apr 2024 | 3,500 | 20.1 2 | 22.0 2 | 11.0 1 | 17.2 1 | 17.6 1 | 5.0 0 | 1.2 0 | 4.7 0 | — | 1.2 0 | 1.9 | 9.1 | ||
| Kantar Emor | 14-20 Mar 2024 | 1,135 | 18.9 2 | 21.4 2 | 13.9 1 | 15.4 1 | 16.7 1 | 5.6 0 | — [lower-alpha 1] | 5.9 0 | — | 2.1 0 | 2.5 | 11.4 | ||
| 2023 parliamentary election | 31.2 3 | 9.3 1 | 15.3 1 | 16.1 1 | 8.2 0 | 13.3 1 | 1.0 0 | 2.3 0 | — | 3.3 0 | 15.1 | 30.4 | ||||
| 2019 EP election | 26.2 2 | 23.3 2 | 14.4 1 | 12.7 1 | 10.3 1 | 3.2 0 | 1.8 0 | — | — | 8.0 0 | 2.9 | 17.3 | ||||
European Parliament polling in Estonia is candidate-oriented as opposed to party-oriented due to the short length of the electoral lists. [39] [40]
| Party | +/– | |
|---|---|---|
| Estonian Reform Party | – | |
| Social Democratic Party | – | |
| Estonian Centre Party | – | |
| Conservative People's Party of Estonia | – | |
| Isamaa | – | |
| Estonia 200 | – | |
| Estonian Greens | – | |
| Parempoolsed | New | |
| Together | New | |
| Independents | – | |
| Total | 0 | |
The Estonian Centre Party is a populist political party in Estonia. It was founded in 1991 as a direct successor of the Popular Front of Estonia, and it is currently led by Mihhail Kõlvart.
The Estonian Reform Party is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kaja Kallas since 2018. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party", referencing its logo.
The Social Democratic Party is a centre-left political party in Estonia. It is currently led by Lauri Läänemets. The party was formerly known as the Moderate People's Party. The SDE has been a member of the Party of European Socialists since 16 May 2003 and was a member of the Socialist International from November 1990 to 2017. It is orientated towards the principles of social-democracy, and it supports Estonia's membership in the European Union. From April 2023, the party has been a junior coalition partner in the third Kallas government.
The Riigikogu 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 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.
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.
Jüri Ratas is an Estonian politician who served as the prime minister of Estonia from 2016 to 2021 and as the leader of the Centre Party from 2016 to 2023, and the mayor of Tallinn from 2005 to 2007. Ratas was a member of the Centre Party until switching to Isamaa in 2024.
Isamaa is a Christian-democratic and national-conservative political party in Estonia.
Sven Mikser is an Estonian politician.
Margus Tsahkna is an Estonian politician, leader of new liberal Estonia 200 party since 19 November 2023, former leader of the conservative Isamaa party, former Minister of Defence in Jüri Ratas' cabinet and Minister of Social Protection in Taavi Rõivas' second cabinet. He was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the third cabinet of Kaja Kallas on 17 April 2023.
Kaja Kallas is an Estonian politician and the current prime minister of Estonia since 2021, the first woman to serve in the role. The leader of the Reform Party since 2018, she was a member of parliament (Riigikogu) in 2011–2014, and 2019–2021. Kallas was a member of the European Parliament in 2014–2018, representing the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. Before her election to Riigikogu, she was a lawyer specialising in European competition law.
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.
An indirect election took place in Estonia in 2016 to elect the president of Estonia, who is the country's head of state. The Riigikogu — the Parliament of Estonia — elected Kersti Kaljulaid to be the next head of state of Estonia to succeed Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who had served his second and final term as president. Kaljulaid is the first female head of state of Estonia.
Jana Toom is an Estonian politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2014. She is a member of the Estonian Centre Party.
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.
Jüri Ratas's second cabinet was the 50th cabinet of Estonia, in office from 29 April 2019 to 14 January 2021. It was a centre-right coalition cabinet of the Centre Party, right-wing populist Conservative People's Party (EKRE) and conservative Isamaa.
Tanel Kiik is an Estonian politician and former cabinet minister.
Kaja Kallas's first cabinet was the Cabinet of Estonia between 26 January 2021 and 14 July 2022. It was a grand coalition cabinet of the Reform Party and the Centre Party until 3 June 2022 when Kallas dismissed Centre Party ministers from government after several weeks of disputes between the two parties.
The second cabinet of Kaja Kallas, was the cabinet of Estonia from 18 July 2022 until 17 April 2023 when it was succeeded by the third Kallas cabinet following the 2023 election.
Parliamentary elections will be held in Estonia by 7 March 2027 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu. Electoral district reform has been discussed for the next election.
Triple Alliance is a commonly used political term in Estonia to refer to the various coalition governments between the centre-left Social Democratic Party, centre-right Reform Party and conservative Isamaa or their predecessors. This coalition has formed four times in history - from 1999 to 2002, from 2007 to 2009, from 2015 to 2016 and from 2022 to 2023. None of the coalitions governments have lasted a full parliamentary term. All of the Triple Alliance cabinets have been the second ones of the respective Prime Minister.
