Riigikogu (1919-1934)
The Riigikogu (German: Reichstag ) was the parliament of the Republic of Estonia between 1919 and 1934 .
prehistory
After the February Revolution in Russia, the Estonian state parliament ( Maapäev ) was freely elected in the spring of 1917 . This declared itself the highest authority in the country on November 28, 1917 in response to the October Revolution , but was dissolved by the Bolsheviks shortly afterwards.
After the collapse of the tsarist empire, the provisional government was formed in Estonia on February 24, 1918 . However, Estonia remained occupied by German troops until November 1918 . After the capitulation of the German Reich, these troops were withdrawn and the Estonians began a war of freedom against Soviet Russia. This ended with the defeat of the Red Army and the Peace of Dorpat in February 1920, in which the Soviet Union recognized Estonia's independence.
From April 5 to 7, 1919, the elections for the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Estonia ( Asutav Kogu ) took place.
The Estonian Constitution of 1920 passed by the Asutav Kogu regulated the work of the future parliament, the Riigikogu (literally "State Assembly"), with its seat in Tallinn, in Sections 35–56 .
Suffrage
The Riigikogu consisted of 100 members who were elected in 10 constituencies. The electoral law of June 2, 1920 applied, which was revised with the electoral law of February 18, 1926. Men and women with a minimum age of 20 years were eligible.
With a few exceptions, the constituencies were based on the districts of the time :
- The capital Tallinn
- Harju County
- Kreis Lääne
- Parnu County
- Saaremaa
- Järva County
- Tartu County
- Viru district
- Viljandi County
- Võru , Valga and Petseri counties as a merged electoral district
Legislative periods
The parliament had a total of five legislative periods:
- Riigikogu , elected from 27. – 19. November 1920 (January 4, 1921 - March 9, 1923)
- Riigikogu , elected from 5. – 7. May 1923 (June 7, 1923 - March 26, 1926)
- Riigikogu , elected from 15.-17. May 1926 (June 22, 1926 - March 26, 1929)
- Riigikogu , elected from 11th to 13th May 1929 (June 2, 1929 - March 24, 1932)
- Riigikogu , elected from 21-23 May 1932 (June 20, 1932 - de facto October 2, 1934; de jure December 31, 1937)
After the constitution and the parliament had granted the Estonian head of state and government Konstantin Päts authoritarian powers for 6 months during the coup d'état of March 12, 1934 , the Riigikogu initially interrupted his work for this period. On October 2, 1934, he held an extraordinary meeting and refused to extend the state of emergency. As a result, parliament was adjourned indefinitely and political parties were banned from operating.
On December 31, 1937 at midnight, the fifth legislative term of the Riigikogu and the term of office of the MPs elected in 1932 ended de jure through Decree No. 290 of Konstantin Päts . On January 1, 1938, the new Estonian constitution came into force.
Presidents of Parliament
| Legislative period | Surname | Term of office | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. | Otto Strandman | 01/04/1921 - 11/18/1921 | Eesti Tööerakond |
| I. | Juhan Kukk | 11/18/1921 - 11/20/1922 | Eesti Tööerakond |
| I. | Konstantin Päts | 11/20/1922 - 06/07/1923 | Põllumeeste Kogud |
| II | Jaan Tõnisson | 06/07/1923 - 05/27/1925 | Eesti Rahvaerakond |
| II | August Rei | 06/09/1925 - 06/22/1926 | Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste party |
| III and IV | Karlsbund | 06/22/1926 - 07/19/1932 | Põllumeeste Kogud |
| V | Jaan Tõnisson | 07/19/1932 - 05/18/1933 | Rahvuslik Keskerakond |
| V | Karlsbund | May 18, 1933 - September 28, 1934 | Põllumeeste Kogud |
| V | Rudolf Penno | 09/28/1934 - 12/31/1937 | Asunikkude, Väikepõllupidajate ja Riigirentnikkude Koondis |
literature
- Mads Ole Balling: From Reval to Bucharest. Statistical-Biographical Handbook of the Parliamentarians of the German Minorities in East Central and Southeastern Europe 1919–1945. Volume 1: Introduction, systematics, sources and methods, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia . 2nd Edition. Documentation-Verlag, Copenhagen et al. 1991, ISBN 87-983829-3-4 , p. 111-130 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 25, 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.
