Estonian parliamentary election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections took place in Estonia
on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu
. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list
proportional representation
system with a 5% (27,510.65 votes) election threshold
. It was the world's first nationwide vote where part of the votecasting was allowed in the form of remote electronic voting
via the Internet
.
Electronic voting in Estonia began in October 2005 local elections when Estonia became the first country to have legally binding general elections using the Internet as a means of casting the vote and was declared a success by the Estonian election officials.
Also, seven independent candidates stood in this election.
lost 16. Socialdemocrats gained 4 seats, while the Greens entered the Parliaments with 7 seats, at the expenses of the agrarian People's Union
which lost 6. The new configuration of the Estonian Parliament shows a prevalence of the centre-left parties. The Centre Party, led by the mayor of Tallinn Edgar Savisaar
, has been increasingly excluded from collaboration, since his open collaboration with Putin
's United Russia
party, real estate scandals in Tallinn, and the Bronze Soldier controversy, considered as a deliberate attempt of splitting the Estonian society by provoking the Russian minority.. The lack of a concrete possibility for government alternance in Estonia has been quoted as a concern
Summary of the 4 March 2007 Parliament of Estonia election results
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
system with a 5% (27,510.65 votes) election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
. It was the world's first nationwide vote where part of the votecasting was allowed in the form of remote electronic voting
Electronic voting
Electronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
E-voting via the Internet
In 2007 Estonia held its and the world's first national Internet election. Voting was available from February 26 to 28. A total of 30,275 citizens (3.4%) used Internet voting.Electronic voting in Estonia began in October 2005 local elections when Estonia became the first country to have legally binding general elections using the Internet as a means of casting the vote and was declared a success by the Estonian election officials.
Parties represented in the previous Parliament
- Social Democratic PartySocial 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....
- Ivari PadarIvari PadarIvari Padar is an Estonian politician, former Minister of Finance and former chairman of the Estonian Social Democratic Party. He was Deputy Mayor of Võru from 1993 to 1994, Executive Chairman of the Võru Farmers Union from 1994 to 1995, and Assistant to the Chancellor at the Finance Ministry from... - People's Union of EstoniaPeople's Union of EstoniaThe 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...
- Villu Reiljan - Union of Pro Patria and Res PublicaUnion of Pro Patria and Res PublicaUnion of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonian Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu and one of...
- Mart LaarMart LaarMart 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... - Estonian Reform PartyEstonian Reform PartyThe 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...
- Andrus AnsipAndrus AnsipAndrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:... - Estonian Centre PartyEstonian Centre PartyThe 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....
- Edgar SavisaarEdgar SavisaarEdgar Savisaar , is an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the leader of the Centre Party. He has served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of Internal affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications...
Parties not represented in the previous Parliament
- Estonian Left PartyEstonian Left PartyEstonian Left Party was a left socialist political party in Estonia.-History:In June 1988 Communist Party of Estonia , i.e. the Estonian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, chief Karl Vaino was replaced by the reform-minded Soviet Ambassador to Nicaragua Vaino Väljas, the former...
- Estonian Independence PartyEstonian Independence PartyThe Estonian Independence Party is a nationalist political party in Estonia. The party, founded in 1999, is a successor to the Estonian Future Party. One of the principal aims of the party is the withdrawal of Estonia from the European Union. The party is currently without parliamentary...
- Estonian Christian DemocratsEstonian Christian DemocratsThe Party of Estonian Christian Democrats , formerly known as the Estonian Christian People's Union is a political party in Estonia, which is not represented in the Riigikogu . The party has 2,167 members. Its chairman is businessman Aldo Vinkel...
- Estonian GreensEstonian GreensEstonian Greens is an Estonian green political party. Valdur Lahtvee, an organizer, reported that on 2006-11-01, more than 1000 members had been recruited for the Green Party Initiative Group to register as a political party under Estonian law, opening doors for running at the coming parliament...
- Constitution PartyConstitution Party (Estonia)The Constitution Party , known until 11 February 2006 as the Estonian United People's Party , was a political party in Estonia, mainly supported by the Russian minority.The party held 6 seats in the Riigikogu from 1999 to 2003...
- Russian Party in EstoniaRussian Party in EstoniaThe Russian Party in Estonia is a minor Estonian political party, drawing just 1,082 votes in the 2007 elections. It is one of the two parties which claim to represent the Russian minority in Estonia. This party is more conservative and nationalistic, compared with the United People's Party that...
Also, seven independent candidates stood in this election.
Seats by electoral district
| The district number | Electoral District | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haabersti, Põhja-Tallinn and Kristiine districts in Tallinn | 8 |
| 2 | Kesklinn, Lasnamäe and Pirita districts in Tallinn | 11 |
| 3 | Mustamäe and Nõmme districts in Tallinn | 8 |
| 4 | Harjumaa (without Tallinn) and Raplamaa counties | 13 |
| 5 | Hiiumaa, Läänemaa and Saaremaa counties | 7 |
| 6 | Lääne-Virumaa county | 6 |
| 7 | Ida-Virumaa county | 8 |
| 8 | Järvamaa and Viljandimaa counties | 8 |
| 9 | Jõgevamaa and Tartumaa counties (without Tartu) | 7 |
| 10 | Tartu city | 8 |
| 11 | Võrumaa, Valgamaa and Põlvamaa counties | 9 |
| 12 | Pärnumaa county | 8 |
Election results
The election has shown an improvement in the scores of the Reform Party, gaining 12 seats and reaching 31 MPs; the Centre Party held, while the unified right-conservative Union of Pro Patria and Res PublicaUnion of Pro Patria and Res Publica
Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonian Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu and one of...
lost 16. Socialdemocrats gained 4 seats, while the Greens entered the Parliaments with 7 seats, at the expenses of the agrarian People's Union
People's Union
People's Union may refer to one of the following political parties:*People's Union *People's Union of Estonia*People's Union *People's Union *People's Union *People's Union "Our Ukraine"...
which lost 6. The new configuration of the Estonian Parliament shows a prevalence of the centre-left parties. The Centre Party, led by the mayor of Tallinn Edgar Savisaar
Edgar Savisaar
Edgar Savisaar , is an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the leader of the Centre Party. He has served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of Internal affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications...
, has been increasingly excluded from collaboration, since his open collaboration with Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
's United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party, real estate scandals in Tallinn, and the Bronze Soldier controversy, considered as a deliberate attempt of splitting the Estonian society by provoking the Russian minority.. The lack of a concrete possibility for government alternance in Estonia has been quoted as a concern
Summary of the 4 March 2007 Parliament of Estonia election results
Estonian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections took place in Estonia on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list proportional representation system with a 5% election threshold...
| 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 | % of votes | swing | 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,... | swing | % of MPs | MPs%/votes% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Classical liberalism Classical liberalism Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets.... |
153 044 | 27.8 | 10.1% | 31 | 12 | 30.7 | 1,10 | ||
| 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.... |
Centrism Centrism In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between... , 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... |
143 518 | 26.1 | 0.7% | 29 | 1 | 28.7 | 1,10 | ||
| Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonian Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu and one of... |
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... , Liberal Conservatism Liberal conservatism Liberal conservatism also known as progressive conservatism is a variant of political conservatism which incorporates liberal elements. As "conservatism" and "liberalism" have had different meanings over time and across countries, the term "liberal conservatism" has been used in quite different... |
98 347 | 17.9 | 14.0% | 19 | 16 | 18.8 | 1,05 | ||
| Social Democratic Party 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.... |
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... , Third Way Third way (centrism) The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as... |
58 363 | 10.6 | 3.6% | 10 | 4 | 9,9 | 0,93 | ||
| Estonian Greens Estonian Greens Estonian Greens is an Estonian green political party. Valdur Lahtvee, an organizer, reported that on 2006-11-01, more than 1000 members had been recruited for the Green Party Initiative Group to register as a political party under Estonian law, opening doors for running at the coming parliament... |
Green politics Green politics Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy... |
39 279 | 7.1 | 7.1% | 6 | 6 | 5,9 | 0,84 | ||
| People's Union of Estonia 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... |
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... |
39 215 | 7.1 | 5,9% | 6 | 7 | 5,9 | 0,84 | ||
| Party of Estonian Christian Democrats | Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
9 456 | 1.7 | 0.7% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Constitution Party Constitution Party (Estonia) The Constitution Party , known until 11 February 2006 as the Estonian United People's Party , was a political party in Estonia, mainly supported by the Russian minority.The party held 6 seats in the Riigikogu from 1999 to 2003... |
Russian minority, left-wing | 5 464 | 1.0 | 1.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Estonian Independence Party Estonian Independence Party The Estonian Independence Party is a nationalist political party in Estonia. The party, founded in 1999, is a successor to the Estonian Future Party. One of the principal aims of the party is the withdrawal of Estonia from the European Union. The party is currently without parliamentary... |
Euroscepticism Euroscepticism Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state... , 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... |
1 273 | 0.2 | 0.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Russian Party in Estonia Russian Party in Estonia The Russian Party in Estonia is a minor Estonian political party, drawing just 1,082 votes in the 2007 elections. It is one of the two parties which claim to represent the Russian minority in Estonia. This party is more conservative and nationalistic, compared with the United People's Party that... |
Russian minority | 1 084 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Estonian Left Party Estonian Left Party Estonian Left Party was a left socialist political party in Estonia.-History:In June 1988 Communist Party of Estonia , i.e. the Estonian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, chief Karl Vaino was replaced by the reform-minded Soviet Ambassador to Nicaragua Vaino Väljas, the former... |
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... |
607 | 0.1 | 0.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independents | 563 | 0.1 | 0.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Party | Votes | % of votes | swing | MPs | swing | % of MPs | MPs %/votes % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 550 213 | 100 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 100 | 1,00 | |
| 3 biggest | 300 228 | 71.8 | 0,9% | 79 | 3 | 78.2 | 1.09 | |
| The cabinet | 335 777 | 61,0 | 4,9% | 66 | 6 | 65,3 | 1,07 | |
| The opposition | 214 436 | 39,0 | 4,9% | 35 | 6 | 34,7 | 0,89 | |
External links
- Opinion Polls
- NSD: European Election Database - Estonia publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1992-2007