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Estonia elects alegislature on the national level. TheRiigikogu has 101 members, elected for a four-year term byproportional representation with a 5%electoral threshold. Ahead of state – thepresident – is elected for a five-year term by parliament (1st–3rd round) or anelectoral college (4th and subsequent rounds). Locally, Estonia elects local government councils, which vary in size. Election law states the minimum size of a council depending on the size ofmunicipality. Local government councils are elected by proportional representation too.
Estonia has amulti-party system with numerousparties. Often no one party has the chance to gain power alone and parties must work with each other to formcoalition governments.
Direct elections have taken place in the following years:
Residents without Estonian citizenship may not elect theRiigikogu (the national parliament). Residents without citizenship of any European Union member state may not elect theEuropean Parliament nor municipal councils.
Foreign citizens were eligible to vote in the local (municipal) elections in Estonia up until 2025, last eligible elections being2021 municipal elections. Stateless residents, or so-called “non-citizens” holdingEstonian alien's passport are eligible to vote up until2025 municipal elections, but not after.[1]
Electronic voting is based on theEstonian ID card. Every voter has the right to verify and change their vote electronically. If the voter has also voted with a ballot paper, then only the ballot paper will be taken into account.[2][3][4][5]
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | +/– | |
| Estonian Reform Party | 190,632 | 31.24 | +2.31 | 37 | +3 | |
| Conservative People's Party of Estonia | 97,966 | 16.05 | −1.71 | 17 | −2 | |
| Estonian Centre Party | 93,254 | 15.28 | −7.82 | 16 | −10 | |
| Estonia 200 | 81,329 | 13.33 | +8.97 | 14 | +14 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 56,584 | 9.27 | −0.56 | 9 | −1 | |
| Isamaa | 50,118 | 8.21 | −3.23 | 8 | −4 | |
| Estonian United Left Party | 14,605 | 2.39 | +2.30 | 0 | 0 | |
| Parempoolsed | 14,037 | 2.30 | New | 0 | New | |
| Estonian Greens | 5,886 | 0.96 | −0.86 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 5,888 | 0.96 | +0.68 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 610,299 | 100.00 | – | 101 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 610,299 | 99.43 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 3,502 | 0.57 | ||||
| Total votes | 613,801 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 966,129 | 63.53 | ||||
| Source: National Electoral Committee[6] | ||||||
TheConstitution of Estonia gives theParliament of Estonia the power to submit a bill or other national issue to a referendum (article 105 of the Constitution[7]). The result of the vote is binding. If a bill which is submitted to a referendum does not receive a majority of votes in favour, the President of the Republic shall declare extraordinary elections to the Parliament.
There are some issues which cannot be submitted to the referendum: issues regarding the budget, taxation, financial obligations of the state, ratification and denunciation of international treaties, the declaration or termination of a state of emergency, or national defence (article 105 of the Constitution[7]).
Some parts of the Constitution (chapters "General Provisions" and "Amendment of the Constitution") can be amended only by a referendum (article 162 of the Constitution[7]). The rest of Constitution can be amended either by
A three-fifths majority of the membership of the Parliament is required to submit a bill to amend the Constitution to a referendum (article 164 of the Constitution[7]).
A referendum was called by the Parliament of Estonia on 2 occasions since Estonia regained independence from theUSSR.
Also, there wasa referendum on the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991 while Estonia was still under Soviet occupation.
