Parliamentary election in Estonia in 1926

The Estonian parliamentary elections in 1926 took place from May 15th to 17th. It was the elections for the third legislative term of the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ) after the adoption of the Estonian Constitution of 1920.

Reform of the electoral law

The 100 MPs were elected for a three-year legislative period after proportional representation. The parties drew up lists for the ten constituencies for election. The same candidates could run in multiple constituencies. Seats were allocated according to the D'Hondt procedure .

As a result of the parliamentary elections in 1923, in which 26 parties and groups stood for election and fourteen made it into parliament, the electoral law was changed in February 1926. The aim was to counter a renewed fragmentation and to facilitate the work of Parliament. All parties had to leave bail in order to be allowed to vote. Estonia also introduced a threshold clause : a party could only enter parliament if it won two seats.

Consolidation of the party system

In 1925, the Estonian party system had also been further consolidated. The Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party (Eesti Sotsiaaldemokraatiline Tööliste Party) united in April 1925 with parts of the left-wing Socialist Independent Socialist Workers Party (Iseseisev Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party) to form the Estonian Socialist Workers Party (Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party) . On June 5, 1925, the two parliamentary groups also merged. The remaining group of left-wing socialists ran in 1926 under the name Estonian Workers' Party (Eesti Tööliste Party) . She received six seats in the new parliament.

Election result

The change in electoral law showed the hoped-for effect: only 14 parties took part in the election. Ten of them managed to win a seat in parliament.

No new party entered parliament. The war veterans, who received only 1.2% of the vote and a seat in 1923, did not run. The National Radical Party (Rahvuslik-Vabameelne Party), which had previously been represented by four MPs, missed entry into parliament. The communists were no longer represented in the new parliament. Since the attempted coup on December 1, 1924, they had lost their legitimacy in the democratic system of Estonia.

The winner of the election was the Estonian Socialist Socialist Workers' Party (Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party), which became the largest group with 24 MPs. The farmers' union (Põllumeeste Kogud) and the Estonian People's Party (Eesti Rahvaerakond) were able to consolidate their position in the party system.

The party of “settlers, small farmers and state tenants” (Asunikkude, Väikepõllupidajate ja Riigirentnikkude Koondus) under Rudolf Penno recorded the largest number of votes . She was able to increase the number of her seats from four to fourteen.

Official end result

• Number of eligible voters: 701,769 (excluding army personnel)
• Votes cast: 514,595 (+ 12,306 members of the army)
• Turnout: 73.3% (excluding members of the army)
• Invalid votes (including military personnel): 3,421 (0.6%)
• Valid votes (including military personnel): 523,480 (99.4%)

Parties represented in parliament

Official final result of the 1926 parliamentary election (100 seats)

Political party		German name	political orientation	% (Election 1926)	Seats (election 1926)	% (Election 1923)	Seats (election 1923)
	Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste party	Estonian Socialist Workers Party	social democratic	22.9%	24	18.7%	20th
	Põllumeeste Kogud	Association of farmers	agrarian-conservative	21.4%	23	21.6%	23
	Asunikkude, Väikepõllupidajate ja Riigirentnikkude Koondis	Association of "settlers, small farmers and state tenants"	agrarian; Middle left	13.5%	14th	3.8%	4th
	Eesti Tööerakond	Estonian Labor Party	Middle left	12.3%	13	11.2%	12
	Eesti Rahvaerakond	Estonian People's Party	Middle right	7.4%	8th	7.5%	8th
	Eesti Tööliste party	Estonian Labor Party	left socialist	5.8%	6th	9.5%	10
	Kristlik Rahvaerakond	Christian People's Party	Christian-conservative	5.4%	5	7.3%	8th
	Vene Rahva ühendatud nimekiri	United List of the Russian People	Russian-speaking minority	3.3%	3	4.1%	4th
	Saksa-Balti Erakond	German-Baltic Party	German-speaking minority	2.5%	3	3.5%	3
	Üleriikline Majaomanikkude Seltside Liit ja teised eraomanduse pooldajad	"Nationwide Union of Homeowners Associations and Other Proponents of Private Property"	Homeowner	2.4%	2	2.2%	2

Parties not represented in parliament from 1926 to 1929

The other four parties and groups that stood for election did not receive any parliamentary seats:

• Eesti Üürnikkude Liit ("Estonian Tenants' Association"): 1.3%
• Rahvuslik-Vabameelne Party ("National Liberal Party"): 0.9%
• Töörahva Liit ("Union of the Working People"): 0.7%
• Maarahva Liit ("Rural People's Union"): 0.3%

Government formation

The second term of the Estonian parliament ended on June 14, 1926. The opening session of the newly elected parliament took place on June 22nd.

On July 23, 1926, the previous Prime Minister Jaan Teemant of the Association of Farmers (Põllumeeste Kogud) formed a new government on the basis of the election results . The broad coalition included representatives of the Põllumeeste Kogud (Association of Farmers, PK), the Kristlik Rahvaerakond (Christian People's Party, KRE), the Eesti Rahvaerakond (Estonian People's Party, ER), the Asunikud party , riigirentnikud ja väikepõllupidajad (“Settlers and, Smallholders ”) and the Üleriikline Majaomanikkude Seltside Liit (National Union of House Owners, ÜMSL).

literature

• Sulev Vahtre (Ed.): Eesti Ajalugu. Volume 6: Vabadussõjast Taasiseseisvumiseni. Ilmamaa, Tartu 2005, ISBN 9985-77-142-7 , pp. 70 f.
• III Riigikogu valimised, 15.-17. May 1926. = Elections au parlement, de 15–17 May 1926. Bureau Central de Statistique de l'Estonie, Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo, Tallinn 1927, (Tallinn: Riigi trükikoda).

Web links

• 1926 - Meie parliament ja aeg (Estonian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ cumulative from the election results of 1923 of the Estonian Social Democratic Workers Party (Eesti Sotsiaaldemokraatiline Tööliste Party) and the Independent Socialist Workers Party (Iseseisev Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party)
2. ↑ compared with the 1923 result of the Independent Socialist Workers' Party (Iseseisev Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party)