Social Democrats Advocate for Essential Electoral College Changes

TALLINN - The Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee will on Tuesday discuss a proposal from the Social Democrats to amend the Presidential Elections Act, which would nearly double the number of electors from local municipalities in the electoral college. The proposed amendment would bring approximately 204 members from local councils into the electoral college. Combined with the 101 members of the Riigikogu, this would create a 305-member body. Under the current law, the electoral college consists of about 200 members. "The Social Democrats' first preference would certainly be to elect the president in the Riigikogu. However, if that fails and the election moves to the electoral college, we believe it is necessary to restore the situation that existed before the 2017 administrative reform, where two-thirds of the electors came from cities and rural municipalities. The current large representation of Riigikogu members in the electoral college increases the likelihood of a deadlock originating in parliament carrying over. This, in turn, reduces the probability of a president being elected," explained Lauri Läänemets, chairman of the Social Democratic Party and a member of the Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee. The Social Democrats' proposal ensures greater representation in the presidential electoral college for small municipalities, as well as for council members in the opposition. The current system stipulates that municipalities with up to 10,000 eligible voters elect one person to the college; under the Social Democrats' proposal, the minimum number of council representatives would be two. This would make the electoral college more broad-based and democratic. The Social Democrats' proposal specifies that municipalities with up to 10,000 eligible Estonian citizens would send two representatives to the electoral college instead of one; those with 10,001-50,000 eligible citizens would send three instead of the current two; and those with 50,001-100,000 eligible citizens would send five instead of four. Municipalities with more than 100,000 eligible citizens would send five representatives for every 100,000 eligible citizens. Under this system, Tallinn would get five electors for every 100,000 eligible citizens, instead of its current total of 10. A total of 37 members of the Riigikogu initiated the bill to amend the President of the Republic Election Act on June 19. The presidential elections will take place in August 2026.