Parliamentary election in Estonia 2011

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Result (in%)

 %

30th

20th

10

0

28.6

23.3

20.5

17.1

3.8

2.1

0.9

3.7

RE

K

IRL

SDE

EER

ERL

VEE

Otherwise.

Gains and losses

compared to 2007

 % p

   8th

   6th

   4th

   2

   0

  -2

  -4

  -6

+0.8

-2.8

+2.6

+6.5

-3.3

-5.0

+0.7

+0.5

RE

K

IRL

SDE

EER

ERL

VEE

Otherwise.

Distribution of seats

    

A total of 101 seats

• SDE : 19
• K : 26
• RE : 33
• IRL : 23

Flag and national coat of arms over the Estonian Parliament

Main entrance of the Riigikogu

Riigikogu Chamber

The 2011 parliamentary elections in Estonia took place on Sunday, March 6th, 2011. It was the election for the 12th Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia .

Initial political situation

The last parliamentary election in Estonia took place on March 4, 2007. Since April 2007, Estonia has ruled a coalition between the liberal Estonian Reform Party under Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and the conservative Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit under its chairman Mart Laar . The originally third coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party of Estonia , left the Ansip II cabinet in May 2009 in protest against government policy .

In principle, all parties in Estonia are considered capable of forming a coalition with one another.

Past legislative period

Parties represented in parliament from 2007 to 2011

• Estonian Center Party ( Eesti Keskerakond )
• Estonian Reform Party ( Eesti Reformierakond )
• Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit ( Erakond Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit )
• Social Democratic Party ( Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond )
• Estonian People's Union ( Eestimaa Rahvaliit )
• Estonian Greens ( Erakond Eestimaa Rohelised )

Parties not represented in parliament from 2007 to 2011

• Russian Party in Estonia ( Vene Erakond Eestis )
• Christian Democrats of Estonia ( Eesti Kristlikud Demokraadid )
• Estonian Independence Party ( Eesti Iseseisvus Party )

Electoral system

The one-chamber parliament ( Estonian Riigikogu ; literally: "State Assembly") is elected for a period of four years. According to the Estonian constitution, the parliament has 101 members.

All Estonian citizens who are at least 18 years old on election day are entitled to vote. Any Estonian citizen can be elected who is at least 21 years old on the last day of the registration deadline for candidates.

The election takes place according to proportional representation . There is a five percent hurdle . Estonia was divided into twelve constituencies for election. Each constituency sends between seven and fourteen MPs to the Riigikogu, depending on the size of the population.

Every voter has one vote, which he gives to a candidate in his constituency. In addition to party lists, individual candidates can also run.

The voter does not vote for parties on his ballot paper, but rather persons who are numbered in the list of candidates under the name of the party. Whoever receives at least 1/101 of the valid votes is elected. If none of the candidates receives 1/101 of the votes cast, but the party itself altogether five percent or more, then as many members of the party come into the Riigikogu proportionally as it has won seats based on percent of the votes cast. Those candidates from this party who have received the most votes move in.

If a member of parliament joins the government, he has to temporarily renounce his parliamentary mandate. The candidate from his party with the next highest number of votes will take his place on an interim basis.

Election organization

The State Electoral Commission ( Vabariigi Valimiskomisjon ) is responsible for carrying out the election . Its chairman is the director at Riigikogu (head of the parliamentary administration), Heiki Sibul (* 1963).

The polling stations are open on election day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, every eligible voter can cast their vote via the Internet from February 24th to March 2nd. For this he needs an identity card chip card, a card reader and a pin code. The vote can be cast again, whereby the previous vote is revoked.

In addition, for the first time in 2011 it will be possible to dial via the Internet with a mobile ID card and a cell phone. For this, the voter needs a special SIM card with a PIN code, which is issued by the Estonian police, and a digital certificate . The SIM card takes on the function of the identity card and the card reader.

The Estonian electoral law also provides for voting in the responsible polling station before the actual election day ( eelhääletamine ): on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before the election day, voting is possible in all polling stations daily from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. For Estonians who are abroad, postal voting or voting at an Estonian diplomatic mission abroad is provided.

Participating parties

Political party		Alignment	Top candidate
	Estonian Reform Party (RE)	classically liberal	Andrus Ansip
	Estonian Center Party (K)	left-liberal	Edgar Savisaar
	Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL)	conservative	Mart Laar
	Social Democratic Party (SDE)	social democratic	Sven Mikser
	Green Estonia (EER)	green	Aleksei Lotman , Toomas Trapido
	People's Union (ERL)	agrarian	Andrus Blok
	Russian Party in Estonia (VEE)	conservative	Stanislav Tšerepanov
	Estonian Christian Democrats Party (EKD)	Christian Democratic	Aldo Vinkel
	Estonian Independence Party (EIP)	right-wing extremist	Vello Leito

Single candidates

Over 30 individual candidates ran for election; among them Siiri Sisask , Mark Soosaar , Leo Kunnas , Mart Helme and Martin Helme .

Survey

Surveys (in%)

Survey period	RE	IRL	K	SDE	EER	ERL
February 2011	28	21st	25th	16	4th	2
January 2011	36	16	23	14th	4th	2
December 2010	36	15th	26th	13	5	4th
November 2010	43	15th	23	11	3	2
October 2010	41	16	24	10	5	2
September 2010	38	19th	25th	8th	4th	2
August 2010	39	14th	25th	10	7th	3
July 2010	37	18th	24	11	5	3
June 2010	35	16	26th	11	6th	4th
May 2010	34	16	29	11	5	3
April 2010	32	15th	28	12	8th	3
March 2010	35	19th	24	12	6th	3
Election 2007	27.8	17.9	26.1	10.6	7.1	7.1

Election result

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, the winner of the election

The 2011 parliamentary elections further consolidated the party system in Estonia. Instead of six, only four parties will be represented in the Riigikogu in the future. The Greens, who entered parliament for the first time in 2007, have not been able to develop much of a profile in the past four years and failed to pass the five percent hurdle. The rural-oriented People's Union, which was able to provide the state president until 2006 , also clearly missed its entry into parliament.

The winner of the election was the liberal reform party under Prime Minister Andrus Ansip , who has governed since 2005. The reform party was able to increase the number of mandates from 31 to 33. The voters apparently honored the government's radical austerity policy, which had led the Estonian economy to some extent through the economic crisis. Estonia was able to introduce the euro on January 1, 2011 .

Ansip's junior partner in the previous minority coalition, the conservative IRL, was also able to win seats. She added four mandates to 23. It has been agreed that Ansip and the IRL party leader, former Prime Minister Mart Laar , will continue the previous coalition.

Among the opposition parties, the Estonian Social Democrats recorded the largest gains. The SDE, which is currently the Estonian president with Toomas Hendrik Ilves , almost doubled the number of seats to 19. The Social Democrats resigned from the three-party coalition with the Reform Party and the IRL in May 2009 to protest against government policy.

The loser in the parliamentary elections was the Center Party, which only has 26 seats (minus 3). But it remains the strongest opposition party. Apparently the party was damaged in the election campaign that it had contacts with Russian oligarchs . The strong man of the Center Party, Tallinn's Lord Mayor Edgar Savisaar , was able to record a personal success : he received the most individual votes (23,012), ahead of Prime Minister Ansip (18,686). However, Savisaar will remain mayor and will renounce his parliamentary mandate.

Party with the highest number of votes by constituency

Estonian Reform Party

Social Democratic Party

Estonian People's Conservative Party

Result of the 2011 parliamentary elections in Estonia

Political party		be right			Seats
		number	%	+/-	number	+/-
	Estonian Reform Party (RE)	164.255	28.6	+0.8	33	+2
	Estonian Center Party (K)	134.124	23.3	−2.8	26th	−3
	Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL)	118.023	20.5	+2.6	23	+4
	Social Democratic Party (SDE)	98,307	17.1	+6.5	19th	+9
	Green Estonia (EER)	21,824	3.8	−3.3	-	−6
	People's Union (ERL)	12.184	2.1	−5.0	-	−6
	Russian Party in Estonia (VEE)	5,029	0.9	+0.7	-	-
	Estonian Christian Democrats Party (EKD)	2,934	0.5	−1.2	-	-
	Estonian Independence Party (EIP)	2,571	0.4	+0.2	-	-
	Independent candidates	15,882	2.8	+2.7	-	-
total		575.133	100.0		101
Valid votes		575.133	99.1	± 0.0
Invalid votes		5.131	0.9	± 0.0
voter turnout		580.264	63.5	+2.5
Non-voters		333.082	36.5	−2.5
Eligible voters		913,346
Source: State Electoral Commission

Web links

• State Electoral Commission (Estonian and English)
• Estonian electoral system (German)
• Estonian electoral law (unofficial translation into English; PDF; 205 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Official election results 2011 State Election Commission (Estonian)
2. ↑ http://www.vvk.ee/riigikogu-valimised-2011
3. ↑ http://www.vvk.ee/riigikogu-valimised-2011/kandidaadid-2011
4. ↑ http://www.vvk.ee/riigikogu-valimised-2011/yldinfo/mandaatide-jaotamine
5. ↑ http://www.vvk.ee/valijale/eelhaaletamisest/elukohajargne
6. ↑ http://www.vvk.ee/riigikogu-valimised-2011/kandidaadid-2011/uksikkandidaadid
7. ↑ Erakondade toetusreitingud ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. TNS Emor (Estonian) 
8. ↑ http://poliitika.postimees.ee/?id=405192
9. ↑ http://poliitika.postimees.ee/?id=398227