The Riigikogu (Estonian: [ˈriːkiˈkoku], from Estonian riigi-, "of the state", and kogu, "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chief justice of the Supreme Court, and elects (either alone or, if necessary, together with representatives of local government within a broader electoral college) the president. Among its other tasks, the Riigikogu also ratifies significant foreign treaties that impose military and proprietary obligations and bring about changes in law, as well as approves the budget presented by the government as law, and monitors the executive power.
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History
History
23 April 1919, the opening session of the Estonian Constituent Assembly, is considered the founding date of the Parliament of Estonia. Established under the 1920 constitution, the Riigikogu had 100 members elected for a three-year term on the basis of proportional representation. Elections were fixed for the first Sunday in May of the third year of parliament. The first elections to the Riigikogu took place in 1920. From 1923 to 1932, there were four more elections to the Riigikogu. The elections were on a regional basis, without any threshold in the first two elections, but from 1926 a moderate threshold (2%) was used. The sessions of the Riigikogu take place in the Toompea Castle, where a new building in an unusual Expressionist style was erected in the former courtyard of the medieval castle in 1920–1922.
In 1933, amendments to the first Constitution were approved by referendum, where more power was given to an executive President. The following year, the President used these new powers to adjourn parliament and declared martial law to avert an alleged coup. In 1937, a second constitution was approved by referendum which saw the introduction of a two chambered legislature, the Chamber of Deputies (Riigivolikogu) and the State Council (Riiginõukogu). Elections were subsequently held in 1938 where only individual candidates were allowed to run.
During the subsequent periods of Soviet occupation (1940–41), German occupation (1941–44), and the second Soviet occupation (1944–1991) the Parliament was disbanded. The premises of the Riigikogu were used by the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR during the second Soviet occupation.
Restitution of independence
In September 1992, a year after Estonia had regained its independence from the Soviet Union, elections to the Parliament took place on the basis of the third Constitution of Estonia adopted in a referendum in the summer of the same year. The 1992 constitution, which incorporates elements of the 1920 and 1938 Constitutions and explicitly asserts its continuity with the Estonian state as it existed between 1918 and 1940, sees the return of a unicameral parliament with 101 members. Under the 1992 constitution (§59), the Riigikogu holds the legislative power in parliament.
The most recent parliamentary elections were held on 5 March 2023. The main differences between the current system and a pure political representation, or proportional representation, system are the established 5% national threshold, and the use of a modified D'Hondt formula (the divisor is raised to the power 0.9). This modification makes for more disproportionality than does the usual form of the formula.
Election process
All Estonian citizens who are over the age of 18 have the active legal capacity and active legal right to vote. The passive right to vote, or the ability for a person to be elected into the Riigikogu, is held by all Estonian citizens over the age of 21 who have the active right to vote. Each Riigikogu is elected for a term of 4 years. If no party gains the majority, or 51 seats, parliamentary groups will unite in a coalition to form government. The remaining groups would then present as the opposition. The Riigikogu has 101 members, which is approximately the cube root of the total population in Estonia who have the right to vote.
Each of the 101 members of the Riigikogu are decided by an election which takes place on the first Sunday of March every 4 years. The voting process is conducted via a secret ballot, and the people of Estonia can vote in 14 different ways including electronic voting. The specific 14 number of voting types comes from the mathematical combinations that are possible as dictated by the Riigikogu election act.
Current seat allocation
The seat allocation refers to de facto allocation, as defectors from fractions are not allowed to join other ones between elections.
Reform Party 38
party leader: Kristen Michal
Social Democratic Party of Estonia 14
party leader: Lauri Läänemets
Estonia 200 12
party leader: Kristina Kallas
Isamaa 11
party leader: Urmas Reinsalu
Conservative People's Party of Estonia 9
party leader: Martin Helme
Centre Party 8
party leader: Mihhail Kõlvart
Independents 8
Structure of former legislatures
Estonian Parliament after 1992 election
Estonian Parliament after 1995 election
Estonian Parliament after 1999 election
Estonian Parliament after 2003 election
Estonian Parliament after 2007 election
Estonian Parliament after 2011 election
Estonian Parliament after 2015 election
Estonian Parliament after 2019 election
Estonian Parliament after 2023 election
Speakers of the Riigikogu
The salary of the speaker is €8318.19 per month.
Chancellery
Established on October 5 of 1992, the Chancellery of the Riigikogu (Estonian: Riigikogu Kantselei) is the administration supporting the Riigikogu in the performance of its constitutional functions. The departments of the Chancellery perform the daily functions.
According to the Routledge Handbook for Parliamentary Administration, the main functions of the chancellery are:
Advising members of the Riigikogu on legislative matters including researching and proposing new systems and practices of parliamentary democracy.
Provides administrative services to the Riigikogu
Assists the Riigikogu in communicating with the public, including other Estonian government bodies and similar bodies in other nations.
Prepares and implements budgets for the Riigikogu, administers its state assets as set out in the State Assets Act, represents the Riigikogu during legal proceedings and in interactions with other institutions of the government.
Provides services for the National Electoral Committee as well as the Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee