Editorial: picking personas

Photo: Urmas Nemvalts

Estonia has enriched the world with use of «duck decoy» for vote magnets intending to boost other party cadre. But this time around, at EU elections, we go for the very persons – a poll ordered by Postimees shows two thirds will look to people, not parties. A whopping 54 percent will be banking on personas, plus a 19 percent who regard a politician above his party. Now, we can elect open lists, meaning that the ones with most votes in a party list will head for Brussels (and Strasbourg).

At the last elections, the law allowed folks on the lists to harvest votes but the sum total thereof made a MEP out of the No 1. Those at the back parts of the lists, thus, were duck decoys with the sole task of collecting votes for the top names. The simple slogan by Indrek Tarand of «vote for man not duck» gained him mighty support and the man single-handedly pocketed almost the amount of votes of the entire Centre Party put together, convincingly beating all other party lists. The protest resulted in the fast-track rule change by Riigikogu and now the persons with most votes rise to top of the lists. Therefore, every «duck decoy» needs to consider that by will of the voters a duck just might turn into a man – the last may become first.

Regardless of rules, EU elections have been persona centred anyhow, the past two times – as shown in the results. The first time, ten years ago, Toomas Hendrik Ilves took a decisive win (76,120 votes) and grabbed two fellow soc dems along to be MEPs. The other time (in 2009) Indrek Tarand reaped 102,460 votes all by himself. Both times, a person was selected who was believed to be competent in foreign policy: Mr Ilves as a former ambassador and foreign minister, and Mr Tarand as a long-time chancellor at foreign ministry. With both, people felt sure they spoke languages and were the sharp-talking kind.

This time, the polls show that former records won’t be beaten. Parties have learned their lessons and have mostly come out with strong lists. People want to vote for personas and these abound. Ladies and gentlemen, start your voting engines!

Traditionally, EU elections have been less popular than Riigikogu and local ones. A poll ordered by Postimees says 44 percent will definitely go and 23 probably so – 67 percent all in all. Thus: might get rather active, this Sunday.