Estonian parliamentary election, 1995
Encyclopedia
Estonian parliamentary election of 1995 was held on 5 March 1995. Threshold was 5% of the national vote, seven lists passed threshold. In brackets are the names of the parties/cartels in Estonian.
The governing parties were heavily defeated, except for Reform Party
, successor of Estonian Liberal Democratic Party. The biggest winner was election cartel consisting of Coalition Party and its rural allies. The cartel won 41 seats which is the best result in Estonian parliamentary election so far.
National Coalition Party Fatherland (Rahvuslik Koonderakond Isamaa) and Estonian National Independence Party formed an electoral cartel this time, nevertheless they got only eight seats in Riigikogu
. Electoral list Right-wingers which included members of Fatherland splinter group Republicans’ and Conservatives’ People’s Party managed to pass the threshold with exactly 5% share of votes.
Social Democrats and Rural Centre Party presented a joined list again and soon after the election formed a new party called Moderates.
Election newcomer was Our Home is Estonia!, a Russian ethnic minority cartel. Among the lists that didn’t pass the threshold were a cartel known as the Fourth Power, formed consisting of the Royalists and Greens.
The defeat of the governing centre-right
parties came as no surprise as the coalition parties had already been defeated in the local election 1993. The majority of the voters were disenchanted with coalition’s shock therapy
policies and scandals which had already brought about the dismissal of Prime Minister Mart Laar
. Laar’s premiership was also characterised with internal fights between coalition partners as well as different groups in his own Fatherland party. This led to a split in 1994, when several groups left Fatherland party.
After the election Coalition Party under the leadership of Tiit Vähi
and the rural parties formed government coalition with the Estonian Centre Party
, the government collapsed, however, as early as autumn 1995, after the so-called Tape scandal. As a consequence, the Centre party was replaced with Reform Party in the government. This coalition which suffered from internal disagreements and clashes between liberal Reform Party and centre-left
rural parties ended in 1996, when Reform Party left the government. Coalition Party and its rural allies continued as minority government until the next regular election, March 1999.
Turnout: 69.06%; 545,825
Invalid votes: 5,142; 0.94%
Valid votes: 540,699;
5% threshold: 27034.95
The governing parties were heavily defeated, except for Reform Party
Estonian Reform Party
The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature...
, successor of Estonian Liberal Democratic Party. The biggest winner was election cartel consisting of Coalition Party and its rural allies. The cartel won 41 seats which is the best result in Estonian parliamentary election so far.
National Coalition Party Fatherland (Rahvuslik Koonderakond Isamaa) and Estonian National Independence Party formed an electoral cartel this time, nevertheless they got only eight seats in Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
. Electoral list Right-wingers which included members of Fatherland splinter group Republicans’ and Conservatives’ People’s Party managed to pass the threshold with exactly 5% share of votes.
Social Democrats and Rural Centre Party presented a joined list again and soon after the election formed a new party called Moderates.
Election newcomer was Our Home is Estonia!, a Russian ethnic minority cartel. Among the lists that didn’t pass the threshold were a cartel known as the Fourth Power, formed consisting of the Royalists and Greens.
The defeat of the governing centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
parties came as no surprise as the coalition parties had already been defeated in the local election 1993. The majority of the voters were disenchanted with coalition’s shock therapy
Shock therapy (economics)
In economics, shock therapy refers to the sudden release of price and currency controls, withdrawal of state subsidies, and immediate trade liberalization within a country, usually also including large scale privatization of previously public owned assets....
policies and scandals which had already brought about the dismissal of Prime Minister Mart Laar
Mart Laar
Mart Laar is an Estonian statesman, historian and a founding member of the Foundation for the Investigation of Communist Crimes. He was the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2002, and is the leader of the conservative party Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica...
. Laar’s premiership was also characterised with internal fights between coalition partners as well as different groups in his own Fatherland party. This led to a split in 1994, when several groups left Fatherland party.
After the election Coalition Party under the leadership of Tiit Vähi
Tiit Vähi
Tiit Vähi is an Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia from 1995 to 1997, and acting Prime Minister for several months during 1992 under the transitional government....
and the rural parties formed government coalition with the Estonian Centre Party
Estonian Centre Party
The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members....
, the government collapsed, however, as early as autumn 1995, after the so-called Tape scandal. As a consequence, the Centre party was replaced with Reform Party in the government. This coalition which suffered from internal disagreements and clashes between liberal Reform Party and centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
rural parties ended in 1996, when Reform Party left the government. Coalition Party and its rural allies continued as minority government until the next regular election, March 1999.
Results
| Party Political party A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions... |
Ideology | Votes | % | swing Swing (politics) An electoral swing analysis shows the extent of change in voter support from one election to another. It is an indicator of voter support for individual candidates or political parties, or voter preference between two or more candidates or parties... |
MPs Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... |
% of MPs | % of MPs swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloc "Coalition Party Estonian Coalition Party Estonian Coalition Party was an Estonian centrist/centre-right liberal political party. Founded in 1991 by Tiit Vähi, it disbanded in 2001. The party was an observing member of Liberal International from 1998 on. It had a contacts with parties like Latvian Way and participated in the ruling... and Country People's Union People's Union of Estonia The People's Union of Estonia is a political party in Estonia, currently led by Margo Miljand.In the 2003 parliamentary election, the party collected 64,463 votes, which made 13.0% share of all votes and 13 mandates out of 101. In 2007's election, this dropped to 39,211 votes , and six seats in... " (Valimisliit "Koonderakond ja Maarahva Ühendus") |
Liberalism Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... , agrarianism Agrarianism Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values... |
174,248 | 32.2% | 15.7% | 41 | 40.6% | 23.8% |
| Estonian Reform Party Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature... (Eesti Reformierakond) |
Liberalism Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... |
87,531 | 16.2% | 16.2% | 19 | 18.8% | 18.8% |
| Estonian Centre Party Estonian Centre Party The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members.... (Eesti Keskerakond) |
Social liberalism Social liberalism Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding... |
76,634 | 14.2% | 1.9% | 16 | 15.8% | 1.0% |
| Bloc "Fatherland Pro Patria Union The Pro Patria Union was a conservative political party in Estonia. The party was founded on 2 December 1995 by merging the Estonian National Independence Party and the National Coalition Party Pro Patria .On April 4, 2006, representatives of the Pro Patria Union and the representatives of Res... and ENIP Union" (Valimisliit "Isamaa ja ERSP Liit") |
Nationalism Nationalism Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what... |
42,493 | 7.9% | 22.9% | 8 | 7.9% | 30.7% |
| Bloc "Moderates Social Democratic Party (Estonia) The Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic party in Estonia, led by Sven Mikser. It has been a member of the Party of European Socialists since 16 May 2003 and a member of the Socialist International since November 1990.... " (Valimisliit "Mõõdukad") |
Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... agrarianism Agrarianism Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values... |
32,381 | 6.0% | 3.7% | 6 | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Bloc "Our Home Is Estonia!" (Valimisliit "Meie Kodu On Eestimaa") |
Minority interests Political parties of minorities Ethnic parties aim to represent an ethnic group in a political system, be it a sovereign state or a subnational entity. An alternate designation is 'Political parties of minorities', but they should not be mistaken with regionalist or separatist parties, whose purpose is territorial autonomy.-... |
31,763 | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6 | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Bloc "Right-wing" (Valimisliit "Parempoolsed") |
Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
27,053 | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5 | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| Bloc "Better Estonia / Estonian Citizen" (Valimisliit "Parem Eesti / Eesti Kodanik") |
Nationalism Nationalism Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what... |
19,529 | 3.6% | 3.3% | — | — | 7.9% |
| Future Estonia Party (Tuleviku Eesti Erakond) |
Nationalism Nationalism Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what... |
13,907 | 2.6% | 2.6% | — | — | — |
| Bloc "Justice" (Valimisliit "Õiglus") |
Democratic socialism Democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation... |
12,248 | 2.6% | 0.7% | — | — | — |
| Estonian Farmers' Party (Eesti Talurahva Erakond) |
Agrarianism Agrarianism Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values... , Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
8,146 | 1.5% | 1.5% | — | — | — |
| Bloc "Fourth Power" (Valimisliit "Neljas Jõud") |
Royalism green interests |
4,377 | 0.8% | 8.9% | — | — | 8.9% |
| Central Union of Estonian Nationalists (Eesti Rahvuslaste Keskliit) |
Nationalism Nationalism Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what... |
3,477 | 0.6% | 0.6% | — | — | — |
| Forest Party (Metsaerakond) |
Agrarianism Agrarianism Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values... green interests |
3,239 | 0.6% | 0.6% | — | — | — |
| Estonian Blue Party (Eesti Sinine Erakond) |
Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
1,913 | 0.4% | 0.4% | — | — | — |
| Estonian Democratic Union (Eesti Democratic Union) |
Nationalism Nationalism Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what... |
316 | 0.1% | 0.1% | — | — | — |
| Independents | 1,444 | 0.3% | 4.0% | — | — | — | |
| Total valid votes | 540,699 | 100.0% | 101 | ||||
|
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Turnout: 69.06%; 545,825
Invalid votes: 5,142; 0.94%
Valid votes: 540,699;
5% threshold: 27034.95
- KMÜ united Estonian Coalition PartyEstonian Coalition PartyEstonian Coalition Party was an Estonian centrist/centre-right liberal political party. Founded in 1991 by Tiit Vähi, it disbanded in 2001. The party was an observing member of Liberal International from 1998 on. It had a contacts with parties like Latvian Way and participated in the ruling...
(Eesti Koonderakond) and Estonian Rural Union (Eesti Maaliit) of the previous grouping Kindel Kodu, a newborn Estonian Country People's Party (Eesti Maarahva Erakond) of Arnold RüütelArnold RüütelArnold Rüütel OIH was the third President of the Republic of Estonia from October 8, 2001 to October 9, 2006. He was the second President since Estonia regained its independence in 1991....
, Estonian Pensioners and Families Union (Eesti Pensionäride ja Perede Liit) with strong heritage of the previous Pensioners Union; and another 1992 participant Farmers Union (Põllumeeste Kogu).
- Estonian Entrepreneur Party and it's only deputy had joined Estonian Centre Party.