The Constitutional Committee wants to amend the constitution quickly. The chairman of the committee, Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200), said they want the Riigikogu to amend the constitution on March 26. Members of the Riigikogu submitted two different amendment proposals. Now the Riigikogu must decide which amendment they support.
The original bill stated that Estonian citizens, stateless persons, and citizens of EU and NATO member states can participate in local elections. Currently, foreigners who have lived in Estonia for a long time can also participate. They must be 16 years old and their home must be located within the boundaries of the municipality or city.
With one amendment proposal, 55 MPs want to change the voting rights. They want citizens of third countries and stateless persons to be unable to vote starting from the 2025 elections. However, stateless persons would still be able to vote in this year's elections in October.
With the second amendment proposal, 26 MPs want to change the voting rights immediately. They want citizens of third countries and stateless persons to be unable to vote already this year. According to this, only Estonian and EU citizens would be able to participate.
The discussion of the constitutional amendment bill in the Riigikogu begins at the third reading. After the bill is presented and questions are answered, different factions will speak on the matter. Then the amendment proposals will be discussed, and it will be decided whether the constitution is amended.
To quickly amend the constitution, at least four-fifths of the votes are required. This means there must be significantly more votes in favor than against. If the constitutional amendment procedure receives enough votes, the Riigikogu will decide whether to adopt the bill. For this, at least 68 votes are needed.
If the Riigikogu does not get enough votes, the constitutional amendment bill will be returned. After that, it will no longer be discussed. This year's local elections in Estonia will take place on October 19.