PEETER TALI ⟩ If the Social Democrats leave the government over the voting right, they might as well make Jana Toom their next leade

Peeter Tali Photo: Eero Vabamägi / Postimees

• The Moscow Patriarchate doesn't serve God but the Kremlin's imperialist ambitions for Greater Russia
• I genuinely believe that Tallinn's Lasnamäe city district should not be a Russian city
• I am not convinced that citizens of communist China need the right to participate in our elections

At the Riigikogu's sitting on Wednesday, leader of the Social Democratic party (SDE) and Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets was visibly uncomfortable while answering questions following a political statement, member of the Riigikogu Peeter Tali (Estonia 200) writes.

The statement itself was strong and necessary, aiming to reduce the influence of the Moscow-linked church in Estonia. The Russian Orthodox Church is not a church, instead it operates as a subcontractor for the Kremlin's special services; therefore, the activities of this hostile organization must be ended in Estonia as soon as possible.

In the Moscow church, it is not God they serve but the Kremlin's imperialist ambitions for Greater Russia. Through its influence activities, the Kremlin has succeeded in continuing to segregate and divide the Estonian population using the Moscow church's organization in Estonia. From a security perspective, it is essential that influence activities by an aggressor state are either prevented to the greatest possible extent or their impact is limited. I wish the interior minister strength and persistence in this important work, which Estonia 200 supports in both words and deeds. The SDE leader found himself under pressure, answering questions about why his party so fiercely defends the interests of Russian and Belarusian citizens in Estonia and their participation in local government elections.

Already in October 2022, the previous Riigikogu composition declared the regimes of Russia and Belarus to be terrorist and supportive of terrorism. There are over 80,000 Russian citizens living in Estonia and I am not inclined to believe that those with Russian passports are the greatest friends of independent Estonia, or at the very least, free from the Kremlin's worldview and influences. In March this year, 75 percent of Russian citizens who voted in Estonia cast their ballots for Putin, a dictator wanted for war crimes. There is hardly anything to add to that.

The tasks of local governments in Estonia are not only to organize public transport, repair potholes, clear snow, switch on street lights, and so on. Maintaining educational institutions that provide primary and basic education is among the main responsibilities of local governments. No citizens of an aggressor state should have the opportunity to influence future generations through their actions or inaction. A prime negative example is the years of justifying delays in transitioning to Estonian-language education, primarily in Tallinn and Narva.

I very much hope that the parliament can reach an agreement and elect the next president of the republic in the Riigikogu, because I shudder at the idea that citizens of aggressor states might be able to influence the election of the supreme commander of our national defense through the electoral body.

Of the six parliamentary parties, four clearly want to decisively and quickly exclude citizens of aggressor states from participating in local government elections. Unfortunately, the votes of these four parties are not enough to urgently amend the constitution in the Riigikogu. 81 votes are needed. Holding a constitutional amendment referendum is also not particularly popular among the so-called old parties, even though it would be a quick way to make the decision. The Center Party has shrunk significantly in the current parliament and does not play a substantial role. Jana Toom consistently defends the interests of Russian citizens in the European Union, so it is hard to imagine a sudden transformation, like Saul turning into Paul, or the Center Party changing.

The Social Democrats, who are partners in the government coalition, are currently cannibalizing the Center Party for all it is worth, using political tactics to secure as many votes as possible from non-Estonian voters in the local elections, with hopes of further expansion in the next parliamentary elections.

I genuinely believe that Tallinn's Lasnamäe city district should not be a Russian city with a different set of values and information space, where the only acceptable district head is someone like Julianna Jurtšenko, who has passionately opposed unified Estonian-language schooling. Her appointment as Lasnamäe district elder was and remains dreadful, no matter the political goal it serves. Until now, the Social Democrats have threatened to break the coalition if Estonia 200 and the Reform Party decide to amend the constitution.

Political passions have flared, and the Social Democrats likely realize they have little to gain but much to lose. Considering that, under Interior Minister Läänemets' leadership, firearm licenses have been revoked from Russian and Belarusian citizens and the Interior Ministry is rooting out the Moscow church and Kremlin influence from Estonia, why would Russian citizens vote for the Social Democrats in the local elections? If the Social Democrats were to leave the coalition over the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian citizens, they might just as well invite Jana Toom to be their next leader. We would be able to see soon enough how their potential voters react to this.

Sensing a strategic dilemma, Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski has begun promoting the idea that Russian citizens should register for elections and affirm their allegiance with a signature. Furthermore, he suggests granting the Internal Security Service and/or police the authority to remove individuals from the voter register if their loyalties are questionable. This sounds like a political house of mirrors.

I would expect such logic in communist China but not in democratic Estonia and the European Union. I could expect it, but I would not understand it. Setting aside the hypothetically increasing labor costs and bureaucratic expansion of the Estonian police, how could the police carry out loyalty checks and, based on the results, allow people access to the voting booth? This sounds like a police state or an unpublished dystopia by George Orwell. Even in the Soviet Union, the Bolsheviks allowed everyone to go to the ballot box.

Isamaa has submitted a bill to revoke voting rights from all citizens of third countries, unless Estonia has a reciprocal voting rights agreement with that country ratified by the Riigikogu. It is quite a nice bill overall, but why exclude the citizens of our NATO allies from local elections? With some of our NATO allies, we share a bond forged in battle much stronger than a shared economic space with some EU countries.

For this reason, I am very fond of the idea that, by default, voting rights in local elections should extend to citizens of Estonia, the EU, and NATO member states, and, why not even those of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I am not convinced that citizens of communist China necessarily need the right to participate in Estonian elections, as their values and worldview are entirely different from ours, and there are a thousand times more of them than us.

Laws are made by us to ensure that the Estonian nation, language, and culture are preserved through the ages. If the global situation changes and security conditions continue to deteriorate, then laws must be changed swiftly. Even the constitution, if necessary.