The Constitutional Committee proposes to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency

Chairman of the Constitutional Committee Hendrik Johannes Terras said that the Committee had moved to send the Bill to the third reading in the plenary on 26 March. “As a second decision, we made a proposal to the plenary to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency,” he added.

Members of the Riigikogu submitted two motions to amend to the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution by deadline, and the Committee decided to support both. According to Terras, this means that the plenary of the Riigikogu will have to choose between the motions to amend.

The Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (536 SE), initiated by 61 Members of the Riigikogu, originally provided that Estonian citizens and stateless residents as well as citizens of European Union and NATO countries would be allowed to participate in municipal council elections. At present, in addition to Estonian and EU citizens, the right to participate in local elections extends to aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence permit or the permanent right of residence, who have attained 16 years of age by the election day and whose permanent place of residence is located in the corresponding rural municipality or city.

According to one motion to amend, which was submitted by 55 members of the Riigikogu, the right to vote in local elections would be revoked for third-country nationals residing in Estonia and, from the next elections onwards, stateless persons would not be allowed to vote in local elections as well. Stateless persons would be allowed to vote at this year’s local elections. The presenters of this proposal said that it would give stateless persons sufficient time to apply for Estonian citizenship if they so wish and to participate in the next local elections as Estonian citizens.

According to the second motion to amend, which was submitted by 26 members of the Riigikogu, the right to vote would be revoked from this year’s local elections for both the third-country nationals residing in Estonia and for stateless persons. As a result of the amendment, only the citizens of Estonia and the EU countries would be able to participate in local elections.

At the third reading of the Bill to amend the Constitution in the plenary of the Riigikogu, a representative of the Constitutional Committee will deliver a report, and after the questions and answers session, a debate will be held where the representatives of parliamentary groups can take the floor. Then, the submitted motions to amend will be reviewed, and the method of amending the Constitution will be decided. In order to adopt the resolution to consider the Bill to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency, a four-fifths majority of the Riigikogu is required. This means that at least four times as many members of the Riigikogu must vote in favour of amending the Constitution as a matter of urgency than against it.

If the method of amending the Constitution receives the required majority of votes, the Riigikogu will decide to pass the Bill as an Act. A two-thirds majority of the votes of the members of the Riigikogu, that is, at least 68 votes, will be needed for the Bill to amend the Constitution to be passed.

If none of the two votes – on the method of amending the Constitution, or passing the Bill – receives the required majority of votes, the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution is deemed to have been rejected, and it will be dropped from the proceedings.

The next municipal council elections will take place in Estonia on 19 October this year.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Constitutional Committee proposes to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency

Source: Parliament of Estonia