DANIIL MARTIKAINEN-JARLUKOVSKI ⟩ A disservice to Estonia, but a friendly favor for Russia from the Social Democrats

Elections. Image is illustrative. Photo: Elmo Riig

• Previously, the Social Democrats had no problem with suspending gun permits of these groups.
• The conditions are very simple so having or not having Estonian citizenship is a matter of will.
• An exemplary disservice to Estonia, a great friendly favor for Russia.

The decision of the Social Democratic Party (SDE) to fight for the voting rights of Russian citizens is an attempt to gain votes and is not in line with ensuring Estonia's interests or security, Daniil Martikainen-Jarlukovski, a student at the University of Tartu, writes.

The Social Democrats began to oppose the decision included in the previous coalition agreement to suspend the voting rights of Russian citizens. However questionable such a move might be, it seems quite expected from those who want to protect all kinds of minorities. However, the Social Democrats had no problems with restricting rights in the past.

Namely, if we take a look at the invalidation of gun permits that took place a year ago, we see that the Social Democrats were completely in favor of it. Although the right to bear arms is undoubtedly also a right, the Social Democratic Party opposed it. And how well they justified it! For example, I would like to highlight a quote from Lauri Läänemets: «In the current security situation, this measure is necessary to proactively mitigate any risks to our internal security and public order.»

If a gun is a physical weapon, then voting is a political one. A voter who retains the citizenship of the aggressor state is biased from the start.

So, the Social Democrats could take away the right to bear arms without any problems. The reasons are clear. At the same time, there is a problem with voting rights for some reason. Such behavior can only be explained by vote-catching. The revocation of gun permits affected a total of 1,300 Russian and Belarusian citizens. All of them could even vote for the Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) as revenge on SDE, such a small number will not change anything for the party.

Let’s take a closer look: Lauri Läänemets spoke about internal security and safety, risks that must be mitigated. Is the voting right of Russian citizens not relevant here? It is, fully, and also poses a risk. If a gun is a physical weapon, then voting is a political one. Moreover, it is significantly more dangerous than conventional weapons. This is because tens of thousands have the right to vote, which is no joke in a country the size of Estonia.

It would be wrong to assume that a voter with Russian citizenship is exactly the same as an Estonian voter. Clearly not. While a voter with Estonian citizenship is initially neutral and may vote for any political party based on their convictions, the attitude of a voter with Russian citizenship is completely different. Retaining Russian citizenship is in itself a political decision, as the conditions for obtaining Estonian citizenship are actually very simple: B1 level knowledge of the official language plus eight years of residence in the country. To have it or not to have it is a question of will.

Stripping Russian citizens of voting rights remains the best possible decision, the implementation of which has not been carried out despite promises.

The answer hints at political preferences. A voter who retains the citizenship of the aggressor state is biased from the start. They either vote for those who promise as many advantages as possible to people in their situation – whether these are the Social Democrats or the Center Party – or they support persons and organizations that are more compatible with their world views. A good example of this is the political party Koos along with the infamous Aivo Peterson. In other words, with its decision, SDE is seeking votes either for itself or for people and political parties that hate Estonia.

This is an exemplary disservice to Estonia, but a great friendly favor for Russia. Usually, resources and money have to be spent to establish a loyal person in a position, here they are voted into local governments completely free of charge thanks to Estonia's new coalition. The situation is made especially amusing by the fact that the Riigikogu declared Russia a terrorist state supporting terrorism in 2022. In other words, the position of the Social Democrats now is: «Let the terrorists vote!»

The Reform Party has exhibited the ability to be strong in foreign policy: to protect Estonia’s interests, to stand up against Russia, to support Ukraine. However, in domestic politics, it now showed weakness instead. Stripping Russian citizens of voting rights remains the best possible decision, the implementation of which has not been carried out despite promises. The decision to abandon it will have negative consequences for all parties involved and for Estonian society in general. As a Russian citizen, I continue to believe that persons with my citizenship must not be able to vote in Estonian elections.