Riigikogu

The Riigikogu (Estonian: [ˈriːɡ̊iˈkoɡ̊u], 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.

State Assembly of Estonia Riigikogu
XV Riigikogu
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	23 April 1919; 105 years ago (1919-04-23) 21 October 1992; 32 years ago (1992-10-21) (re-established)
Disbanded	1940–1991
Leadership
Chairman	Lauri Hussar, Estonia 200 since 10 April 2023
First Vice-Chairman	Toomas Kivimägi, Reform since 10 April 2023
Second Vice-Chairman	Arvo Aller, EKRE since 15 April 2024
Structure
Seats	101
Political groups	Government (66)   Reform (39)   SDE (14)   E200 (13) Opposition (35)   EKRE (11)   Isamaa (9)   Centre (7)   ERK (1)   Independents (7)
Committees	11 Committees Constitutional Cultural Affairs Economic Affairs Environment European Union Affairs Finance Foreign Affairs Legal Affairs National Defence Rural Affairs Social Affairs
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation Modified D'Hondt method
Last election	5 March 2023
Next election	By 7 March 2027
Meeting place
Parliament building in Toompea Castle, Tallinn
Website
www.riigikogu.ee

History

History

23 April 1919, the opening session of the Estonian Constituent Assembly is considered the founding date of the Parliament of Estonia.^[1] 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.^[2] 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 was 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.^[3] In 1937, a second constitution was approved by referendum which saw the introduction of a two chambered legislature, the Chamber of Deputies [et] (Riigivolikogu) and the National 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. 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.

Latest election

Main article: 2023 Estonian parliamentary election

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Estonian Reform Party	190,632	31.24	+2.31	37	+3
	Conservative People's Party of Estonia	97,966	16.05	−1.71	17	−2
	Estonian Centre Party	93,254	15.28	−7.82	16	−10
	Estonia 200	81,329	13.33	+8.97	14	+14
	Social Democratic Party	56,584	9.27	−0.56	9	−1
	Isamaa	50,118	8.21	−3.23	8	−4
	Estonian United Left Party	14,605	2.39	+2.30	0	0
	Parempoolsed	14,037	2.30	New	0	New
	Estonian Greens	5,886	0.96	−0.86	0	0
	Independents	5,888	0.96	+0.68	0	0
Total		610,299	100.00	–	101	0
Valid votes		610,299	99.43
Invalid/blank votes		3,502	0.57
Total votes		613,801	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		966,129	63.53
Source: National Electoral Committee[4]

Current seat allocation

Session hall.

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: Kaja Kallas
• Social Democratic Party of Estonia 14
  • party leader: Lauri Läänemets
• Estonia 200 13
  • party leader: Margus Tsahkna
• Conservative People's Party of Estonia 11
  • party leader: Martin Helme
• Isamaa 11
  • party leader: Urmas Reinsalu
• Centre Party 6
  • party leader: Mihhail Kõlvart
• Independents 8

Structure of former legislatures

Estonian Parliament after 1992 election

29	17	15	12	10	8	8	1	1
Isamaa	Safe Home	Popular Front	Moderates	Independence	ERP	Citizen	Greens	EEE

Estonian Parliament after 1995 election

41	19	16	8	6	6	5
Coalition/Country	Reform	Centre	RKEI and ERSP	Moderates	Home	Right

Estonian Parliament after 1999 election

28	18	18	17	7	7	6
Centre	Pro Patria	Reform	Moderates	Coalition	Country	United

Estonian Parliament after 2003 election

28	28	19	13	7	6
Centre	Res Publica	Reform	People's Union	Pro Patria	Moderates

Estonian Parliament after 2007 election

31	29	19	10	6	6
Reform	Centre	IRL	SDE	Greens	People's Union

Estonian Parliament after 2011 election

33	26	23	19
Reform	Centre	IRL	SDE

Estonian Parliament after 2015 election

30	27	15	14	8	7
Reform	Centre	SDE	IRL	EVA	EKRE

Estonian Parliament after 2019 election

34	26	19	12	10
Reform	Centre	EKRE	Isamaa	SDE

Estonian Parliament after 2023 election

37	17	16	14	9	8
Reform	EKRE	Centre	E200	SDE	Isamaa

Speakers of the Riigikogu

The salary of the speaker is €8318.19 per month.^[5]

1921–1937

Name	Period	Legislature
Otto Strandman	4 January 1921 – 18 November 1921	I Riigikogu[6]
Juhan Kukk	18 November 1921 – 20 November 1922	I Riigikogu[6]
Konstantin Päts	20 November 1922 – 7 June 1923	I Riigikogu[6]
Jaan Tõnisson	7 June 1923 – 27 May 1925	II Riigikogu[6]
August Rei	9 June 1925 – 22 June 1926	II Riigikogu[6]
Karl Einbund	22 June 1926 – 19 July 1932	III Riigikogu, IV Riigikogu, V Riigikogu[6]
Jaan Tõnisson	19 July 1932 – 18 May 1933	V Riigikogu[6]
Karl Einbund	18 May 1933 – 29 August 1934	V Riigikogu[6]
Rudolf Penno	28 September 1934 – 31 December 1937	V Riigikogu[6]

Speakers of the Riigivolikogu (lower chamber)

Name	Period	Legislature
Jüri Uluots	21 April 1938 – 12 October 1939	VI Riigikogu[6]
Otto Pukk	17 October 1939 – 5 July 1940	VI Riigikogu[6]
Arnold Veimer	21 July 1940 – 25 August 1940

Speaker of the Riiginõukogu (upper chamber)

Name	Period	Legislature
Mihkel Pung	21 April 1938 – 5 July 1940	VI Riigikogu[6]

Chairman of the Supreme Council (1990–1992)

Name	Period
Arnold Rüütel	29 March 1990 – 5 October 1992

Speaker of the Supreme Council (1990–1992)

Name	Period
Ülo Nugis	29 March 1990 – 5 October 1992

Since 1992

Name	Period	Legislature
Ülo Nugis	21 October 1992 – 21 March 1995	VII Riigikogu[6]
Toomas Savi	21 March 1995 – 31 March 2003	VIII Riigikogu, IX Riigikogu[6]
Ene Ergma	31 March 2003 – 23 March 2006	X Riigikogu[6]
Toomas Varek	23 March 2006 – 2 April 2007	X Riigikogu[6]
Ene Ergma	2 April 2007 – 20 March 2014	XI Riigikogu, XII Riigikogu[6]
Eiki Nestor	20 March 2014 – 4 April 2019	XII Riigikogu, XIII Riigikogu[6]
Henn Põlluaas	4 April 2019 – 18 March 2021	XIV Riigikogu[6]
Jüri Ratas	18 March 2021 – 10 April 2023	XIV Riigikogu[6]
Lauri Hussar	10 April 2023 – present	XV Riigikogu[7]

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.^[8] The departments of the Chancellery perform the daily functions.

See also

• List of members of the Parliament of Estonia
• Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Citations and references

1. "Riigikogu". Riigikogu. Archived from the original on 5 December 1998. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
2. Miljan 2004, p. 413.
3. Miljan 2004, p. 414.
4. "Eesti Vabariik kokku". Valimised. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
5. "Salaries of MPS".
6. "Riigikogu juhatus". Riigikogu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
7. "Eesti 200 leader Lauri Hussar elected Riigikogu speaker". ERR. 10 April 2023.
8. "Chancellery of the Riigikogu". Riigikogu (in Estonian). Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.

Cited sources

• Miljan, Toivo (2004). Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Maryland, US: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4904-6.

External links

• Official website
• Riigkogu's election law (in English)

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