
Riigikogu muutis põhiseadust: Vene ja Valgevene kodanike valimisõigus kaob
The Riigikogu amended the constitution: Voting rights for citizens of Russia and Belarus will be revoked
Riigikogu hääletas põhiseaduse muutmise poolt. Vene ja Valgevene kodanikud ja kodakondsuseta inimesed kaotavad valimisõiguse. Halli passiga inimesed saavad veel hääletada kord, aga see on viimane kord.
The Riigikogu voted in favor of amending the constitution. Citizens of Russia and Belarus and stateless persons will lose their voting rights. People with gray passports can still vote once, but this will be the last time.
The Riigikogu supported the accelerated amendment of the constitution. 92 members voted in favor and 7 against. A large number of votes was required for the amendment. After the final vote, 93 members supported the amendment and 7 were against. At least 68 votes were needed for the amendment to take effect.
The draft initially allowed Estonian citizens and stateless persons to vote in local elections. Citizens of EU and NATO countries could also vote. But now the law has been changed. In this year's elections, stateless persons can still vote. But next time it will be prohibited. The amendment gave stateless persons time to apply for Estonian citizenship.
In this year's elections, Estonian and EU citizens and stateless persons can vote. But in the next elections, only Estonian and EU citizens will be able to vote.
The second proposal did not receive enough votes. It would have banned citizens of third countries and stateless persons from participating in elections as early as this year.
According to the current law, Estonian and EU citizens can participate in local elections. Foreigners who live in Estonia with a long-term residence permit can also participate. They must be at least 16 years old and their place of residence must be located in the electoral district.
The next local elections will take place in Estonia on October 19.