Estonia’s president on Wednesday signed into law a constitutional amendment banning non-EU citizens from taking part in local elections, a move targeting the large Russian minority in the Baltic state. Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the change on March 26 as fears grow about security in the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In a statement, the office of President Alar Karis stated that the ban on "third-country nationals" participating in local elections was intended to "protect the unity of Estonian society." However, in a statement, it urged those who were affected by the ban not to believe that they had been excluded from society or that the state "only sees them as a security risk.
" Around 80,000 Russians who live in the former Soviet republic, which gained independence in 1991, will be primarily affected by the new policy. Permanent residents in Estonia until now had the constitutional right to vote in local polls but not in parliamentary elections.
As tensions increase between Russia and the West, relations between Moscow and the three capitals of the Baltic states of Tallin, Riga, and Vilnius have been deteriorating for a long time.
There are a lot of Russian-speaking minorities in Estonia and Lithuania who sometimes disagree with their governments. This raises concerns that Moscow could use these differences to destabilize the countries. All three Baltic states are European Union and NATO and staunch supporters of Ukraine.
When Estonia gained independence from the Soviet Union, about a third of its population was Russian-speaking, including families who had emigrated from other Soviet republics.
Due to the absence of family ties to Estonia, they were unable to obtain citizenship. Candidates must also pass an Estonian language test to become citizens.
Tags
FORIEGN NEWS