| Estonia |
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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 (1st-3rd round) or an electoral college (4th and subsequent rounds). Locally, Estonia elects local government councils, which vary in size, but by the election law there are minimum size of councils depending on the size of municipality. Local government councils are elected by proportional representation too.
- The minimum number of council members is prescribed to be at least 7 seats
- Over 2,000 inhabitants: at least 13 seats
- Over 5,000 inhabitants: at least 17 seats
- Over 10,000 inhabitants: at least 21 seats
- Over 50,000 inhabitants: at least 31 seats
- Over 300,000 inhabitants: at least 63 seats
Estonia has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.
Elections have taken place in the following years: Past elections:
- Riigikogu (parliament): 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007
- Local/municipal: 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005
- Europarliament: 2004 (6 seats)
- Referenda: 2003 (EU)
- President: 1992 (Lennart Meri), 1996 (Lennart Meri), 2001 (Arnold Rüütel), 2006 (Toomas Ilves)
Upcoming elections:
- 18 October 2009: Local/municipal
Contents |
Latest national election
| Party | Ideology | Votes | % | Change | Seats | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estonian Reform Party (Eesti Reformierakond) | Classical liberalism | 153,044 | 27.8% | +10.1% | 31 | +12 | |
| Estonian Centre Party (Eesti Keskerakond) | Social liberalism | 143,518 | 26.1% | +0.7% | 29 | +1 | |
| Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit)1 | Conservatism | 98,347 | 17.9% | –14.0% | 19 | –16 | |
| Social Democratic Party (Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond)2 | Social democracy | 58,363 | 10.6% | +3.6% | 10 | +4 | |
| Estonian Greens (Erakond Eestimaa Rohelised)3 | Green politics | 39,279 | 7.1% | +7.1% | 6 | +6 | |
| People's Union of Estonia (Eestimaa Rahvaliit) | Agrarianism | 39,215 | 7.1% | –5.9% | 6 | –7 | |
| Party of Estonian Christian Democrats (Erakond Eesti Kristlikud Demokraadid)4 | Christian democracy | 9,456 | 1.7% | +0.7% | 0 | — | |
| Constitution Party (Konstitutsioonierakond)5 | Russian minority, left-wing | 5,464 | 1.0% | –1.2% | 0 | — | |
| Estonian Independence Party (Eesti Iseseisvuspartei) | Euroscepticism, Nationalism | 1,273 | 0.2% | –0.4% | 0 | — | |
| Russian Party in Estonia (Vene Eesti Erakond) | Russian minority | 1,084 | 0.2% | ±0.0% | 0 | — | |
| Estonian Left Party (Eesti Vasakpartei)6 | Democratic socialism | 607 | 0.1% | –0.3% | 0 | — | |
| Independents | 563 | 0.1% | –0.3% | 0 | — | ||
| Total | 550,213 | 100.0% | — | 101 | — | ||
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Note 1: Compared to the sum of the Res Publica Party and the Pro Patria Union, who merged to form the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica in 2006. |
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European elections
See also
External links
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