People's Assembly themed seminar backs proposal to lower election threshold

Photo: Andres Haabu

At the fifth and final themed seminar in the framework of the Estonian crowdsourcing initiative Rahvakogu (People's Assembly) on Friday proposals to lower the election threshold and to change the conditions of security required from candidates for parliament seats received the most support.

The suggestion to distribute compensation mandates on the basis of the number of votes given to candidates rather than on the basis of candidates' ranking in party lists also found favor, as did the proposal that elected persons be obliged to start work in the representative body, head of the Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations Urmo Kubar said.

The participating experts rated as positive the proposal to ease conditions for independent candidates becoming elected and the idea of direct presidential election. Support was slightly lower for calls to allow also electoral alliances put up lists in parliamentary elections, give up compensation mandates and distribute all mandates in electoral districts, change the time of elections, and tie the right to participate in local polls to voters' permanent residence.

Under discussion were also ideas to reduce the number of parliament members, introduce a two-chamber parliament, change the number of electoral districts, give voters the right to recall parliament members, make participation in elections mandatory, give parents extra votes, and several others, but they were not rated highly, Kubar said.

The People's Assembly initiative group will next week examine the proposals rated most highly at this week's seminars for overlapping and then make up the list of proposals to be put before a representative sample of 500 people at the so-called deliberation day on April 6.