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Estonia - November 2024

Government proposes constitutional amendments stripping some non-citizens of local voting rights
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On 6 November, the government introduced a bill to amend the constitution in Parliament, which would remove the right of certain non-citizens living in Estonia to vote in local elections. The bill is narrowly tailored to affect Russian and Belarusian citizens, citing national security concerns. The draft amendments would guarantee local voting rights for stateless people in the Constitution, in addition to EU citizens and NATO countries--considered to share Estonia’s democratic values and security interests. The bill passed its first reading in Parliament on 20 November, and will be considered in the second reading in at least three months’ time, as required by the Constitution. There are an estimated 83,500 Russian citizens living in Estonia, roughly a third of whom have previously taken part in local elections according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR. Local elections are scheduled for October 2025.  

Sources: ConstitutionNetERR (1), ERR (2), Riigikogu (1), Riigikogu (2), Riigikogu (3) 

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