TALLINN/MAARDU Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is taking away the right to vote from the citizens of Russia and Belarus living in Estonia.
Russians and Belarusians have had the right to vote in municipal elections if they have a permanent residence permit.
Technically speaking legislative initiative of the governing parties is taking away the right to vote from all citizens of so-called third countries, i.e. countries outside the EU.
I have been to Estonia in recent years public debate based on this, however, it is clear that the legislative initiative under consideration by the Parliament has been drawn up specifically with Russians and Belarusians in mind. The Riigikogu, the Estonian parliament, declared two years ago Russia as a state that supports terrorism.
In addition to EU countries, citizens of NATO countries would still be allowed to vote in Estonian municipal elections.
“We Russians are like an anvil here”
– I think it’s unfair, says the middle-aged man Vera In the Russian-majority Lasnamäki suburb of Tallinn.
Due to the sensitivity of the subject, he and the other Estonian-Russians interviewed by agreed to comment on the matter only by their first name.
– People with Russian or Belarusian citizenship work here and pay taxes, so they have the right to participate in municipal elections, says Vera.
Lives in Estonia nearly 80,000 Russian citizens. Three thousand citizens of Belarus live in the country. About 180,000 Russian speakers have Estonian citizenship.
To Tatiana the presenting woman, on the other hand, considers losing the right to vote irrelevant.
– Even if it isn’t banned, you still don’t know who to vote for. We Russians are like an anvil here.
– Yes! Tatjana’s adult daughter nods next to her Olivia.
In Tatjana’s opinion, Russians are constantly being talked about as a problem in Estonia. Tatjana herself was born in Estonia.
Indirect impact on the presidential election
Chairman of the conservative Isänmaa party Helir-Valdor Seeder does not accept the argument “if you pay taxes, you must be able to vote”.
He emphasizes that municipal elections in Estonia do not only resolve issues related to urban planning or waste management.
– In Estonia, municipal representatives can also elect the head of state. Consequently, non-Estonian citizens may participate indirectly in the Estonian presidential election, Seeder states.
The Estonian president is primarily elected by the parliament. However, if it fails to elect a president in three votes, the election will be moved to an election meeting. In addition to MPs, representatives of all Estonian municipalities also participate in it.
According to Seeder, Estonian municipalities also play a significant role in integration, education, developing the will to defend the country and shaping values.
– It gives them a very large influence in Estonian politics, Seeder says.
There is a debate about voting for “grey passers”.
The city of Maardu is located a twenty-minute drive from Tallinn. 77 percent of its inhabitants are Russian or Russian-speaking.
Reached for raking work Vladimir considers taking away the right to vote wrong.
– I am Russian, but I was born and raised here. Everyone who lives here should participate [kuntavaaleihin]Vladimir states.
Despite his Russian origin, Vladimir is one of the approximately 60,000 stateless persons living in Estonia. It is about people who did not apply for the citizenship of any country after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Estonia allowed them to stay in the country in the early 1990s.
The Estonian government is not removing the voting rights of these people.
The government and the opposition in Estonia are broadly in agreement on removing the right to vote for citizens of Russia and Belarus. The right to vote for non-citizens, on the other hand, divides opinions.
The only Russian-born minister in the current Estonian government, a social democrat Vladimir Svet is of the opinion that the right to vote for stateless persons should be preserved because they have no legal ties to Russia. That’s what the ruling parties’ legal initiative also says.
– There is no reason to associate these people with Putin’s administration or to assume that they support Putin. Rather, efforts should be made to better integrate them into the Estonian information and customs environment, Svet emphasizes.
The constitution needs to be changed
Helir-Valdor Seeder of the Isänmaa party, who sits in the opposition, disagrees with the ruling parties. According to him, “grey passport holders”, as stateless people are called according to the color of their ID card covers, are even more pro-Russian than Russian citizens.
– The latest Government Office research shows that 38 percent of Russians living in Estonia and 52 percent of stateless people refuse to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, Seeder emphasizes.
Changes in the right to vote require an amendment to the constitution. In order for the changes to take effect before the municipal elections held in October 2025, the change should be declared urgent. In Estonia, it requires a four-fifths majority of MPs.
In principle, this is possible because on Wednesday of last week in the first reading, only the center party opposed the proposal. It passed by a vote of 79-7.