Estonian parliamentary election, 2011
Encyclopedia
A parliamentary election was held in Estonia
on 6 March 2011, with e-voting
between 24 February and 2 March 2011.
The 101 members of the Riigikogu
(Parliament of Estonia) were elected using a form of proportional representation
for a four-year term. The seats were allocated using a modified D'Hondt method
. The country is divided into twelve multi-mandate electoral district
s. There is a nationwide threshold
of 5% for party lists, but if the number of votes cast for a candidate exceeds or equals the simple quota (which shall be obtained by dividing the number of valid votes cast in the electoral district by the number of mandates in the district) he or she is elected.
Pre-election polls put the Reform Party
, led by Prime Minister Andrus Ansip
, ahead of its main rival, the opposition Centre Party
. The former is slightly right of centre
, the latter is slightly left of centre
. Both parties are members of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
.
The turnout of the election was 63,53%, higher than in the 2 previous elections in 2003 and 2007.
of the OSCE observed this election and issued a report with a number of recommendations.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
on 6 March 2011, with e-voting
Electronic voting in Estonia
The idea of having electronic voting in Estonia gained popularity in 2001 with the "e-minded" coalition government. Estonia became the first nation to hold legally binding general elections over the Internet with their pilot project for the municipal elections in 2005.The electronic voting system...
between 24 February and 2 March 2011.
The 101 members of the Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
(Parliament of Estonia) were elected using a form of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
for a four-year term. The seats were allocated using a modified D'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
. The country is divided into twelve multi-mandate electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
s. There is a nationwide threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
of 5% for party lists, but if the number of votes cast for a candidate exceeds or equals the simple quota (which shall be obtained by dividing the number of valid votes cast in the electoral district by the number of mandates in the district) he or she is elected.
Pre-election polls put the Reform Party
Estonian Reform Party
The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature...
, led by Prime Minister Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:...
, ahead of its main rival, the opposition Centre Party
Estonian Centre Party
The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members....
. The former is slightly right of centre
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
, the latter is slightly left of centre
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
. Both parties are members of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is a European political party mainly active in the European Union, composed of 56 national-level liberal and liberal-democratic parties from across Europe...
.
Seats by electoral district
| The district number | Electoral District | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haabersti, Põhja-Tallinn and Kristiine districts in Tallinn | 9 |
| 2 | Kesklinn, Lasnamäe and Pirita districts in Tallinn | 11 |
| 3 | Mustamäe and Nõmme districts in Tallinn | 8 |
| 4 | Harjumaa (without Tallinn) and Raplamaa counties | 14 |
| 5 | Hiiumaa, Läänemaa and Saaremaa counties | 6 |
| 6 | Lääne-Virumaa county | 5 |
| 7 | Ida-Virumaa county | 8 |
| 8 | Järvamaa and Viljandimaa counties | 8 |
| 9 | Jõgevamaa and Tartumaa counties (without Tartu) | 7 |
| 10 | Tartu city | 8 |
| 11 | Võrumaa, Valgamaa and Põlvamaa counties | 9 |
| 12 | Pärnumaa county | 8 |
Opinion polling
| Party | PM candidate | Seats after 2007 elections Estonian parliamentary election, 2007 Parliamentary elections took place in Estonia on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list proportional representation system with a 5% election threshold... |
Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonian Reform Party Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature... |
Andrus Ansip Andrus Ansip Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:... |
31 | 43% (November 2010, Estonia), 33% (November 2010, Tallinn), 36% (December 2010), 36% (January 2011, TNS Emor), 25% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute), 39% (13 February 2011), 28% (25 February 2011, TNS Emor) |
| Estonian Centre Party Estonian Centre Party The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members.... |
Edgar Savisaar Edgar Savisaar Edgar Savisaar , is an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the leader of the Centre Party. He has served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of Internal affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications... |
29 | 23% (November 2010, Estonia), 31% (November 2010, Tallinn), 23% (December 2010), 23% (January 2011, TNS Emor), 19% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute), 25% (25 February 2011, TNS Emor) |
| Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonian Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu and one of... |
Mart Laar Mart Laar Mart Laar is an Estonian statesman, historian and a founding member of the Foundation for the Investigation of Communist Crimes. He was the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2002, and is the leader of the conservative party Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica... |
19 | 15% (November 2010, Estonia), 20% (November 2010, Tallinn), 15% (December 2010), 16% (January 2011, TNS Emor), 12% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute), 21% (25 February 2011, TNS Emor) |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (Estonia) The Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic party in Estonia, led by Sven Mikser. It has been a member of the Party of European Socialists since 16 May 2003 and a member of the Socialist International since November 1990.... |
Sven Mikser | 10 | 11% (November 2010, Estonia), 9% (November 2010, Tallinn), 13% (December 2010), 14% (January 2011, TNS Emor), 9% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute) 16% (25 February 2011, TNS Emor) |
| Estonian Greens Estonian Greens Estonian Greens is an Estonian green political party. Valdur Lahtvee, an organizer, reported that on 2006-11-01, more than 1000 members had been recruited for the Green Party Initiative Group to register as a political party under Estonian law, opening doors for running at the coming parliament... |
Aleksei Lotman | 6 | 3% (November 2010, Estonia), 4% (November 2010, Tallinn), 5% (December 2010), 4% (January 2011, TNS Emor), 2% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute) 4% (25 February 2011, TNS Emor) |
| People's Union of Estonia People's Union of Estonia The People's Union of Estonia is a political party in Estonia, currently led by Margo Miljand.In the 2003 parliamentary election, the party collected 64,463 votes, which made 13.0% share of all votes and 13 mandates out of 101. In 2007's election, this dropped to 39,211 votes , and six seats in... |
Andrus Blok | 6 | 2% (November 2010, Estonia), 1% (November 2010, Tallinn), 4% (December 2010), 2% (January 2011, TNS Emor), 2% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute) 2% (25 February 2011, TNS Emor) |
| Party of Estonian Christian Democrats | Peeter Võsu Peeter Võsu Peeter Võsu is the chairman of the European Christian Political Movement, international Secretary of the Estonian Christian Democratic Party, chairman of Estonian Christian Television, chairman of the Estonian branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and board member of the... |
0 | |
| Estonian Independence Party Estonian Independence Party The Estonian Independence Party is a nationalist political party in Estonia. The party, founded in 1999, is a successor to the Estonian Future Party. One of the principal aims of the party is the withdrawal of Estonia from the European Union. The party is currently without parliamentary... |
Vello Leito | 0 | |
| Russian Party in Estonia Russian Party in Estonia The Russian Party in Estonia is a minor Estonian political party, drawing just 1,082 votes in the 2007 elections. It is one of the two parties which claim to represent the Russian minority in Estonia. This party is more conservative and nationalistic, compared with the United People's Party that... |
Dimitri Klenski | 0 | |
| Non-party candidates | 0 | 9% (January 2011, Turu-Uuringute) |
Results
| Party Political party A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions... |
Ideology | Votes | % | swing Swing (politics) An electoral swing analysis shows the extent of change in voter support from one election to another. It is an indicator of voter support for individual candidates or political parties, or voter preference between two or more candidates or parties... |
MPs Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... |
% of MPs | % of MPs swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estonian Reform Party Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature... (Eesti Reformierakond) |
Classical liberalism Classical liberalism Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets.... |
164,255 | 28.6% | 0.7% | 33 | 32.7% | 2.0% |
| Estonian Centre Party Estonian Centre Party The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members.... (Eesti Keskerakond) |
Social liberalism Social liberalism Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding... , populism Populism Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social... |
134,124 | 23.3% | 2.8% | 26 | 28.7% | 3.0% |
| Party Fatherland and Res Publica Union (Erakond Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit) |
Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
118,023 | 20.5% | 2.6% | 23 | 22.8% | 4.0% |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (Estonia) The Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic party in Estonia, led by Sven Mikser. It has been a member of the Party of European Socialists since 16 May 2003 and a member of the Socialist International since November 1990.... (Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond) |
Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... |
98,307 | 17.1% | 6.5% | 19 | 18.8% | 8.9% |
| Party Estonian Greens Estonian Greens Estonian Greens is an Estonian green political party. Valdur Lahtvee, an organizer, reported that on 2006-11-01, more than 1000 members had been recruited for the Green Party Initiative Group to register as a political party under Estonian law, opening doors for running at the coming parliament... (Erakond Eestimaa Rohelised) |
Green interests | 21,824 | 3.8% | 3.3% | — | — | 5.9% |
| People's Union of Estonia People's Union of Estonia The People's Union of Estonia is a political party in Estonia, currently led by Margo Miljand.In the 2003 parliamentary election, the party collected 64,463 votes, which made 13.0% share of all votes and 13 mandates out of 101. In 2007's election, this dropped to 39,211 votes , and six seats in... (Eestimaa Rahvaliit) |
Agrarianism Agrarianism Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values... |
12,184 | 2.1% | 5.0% | — | — | 5.9% |
| Russian Party in Estonia Russian Party in Estonia The Russian Party in Estonia is a minor Estonian political party, drawing just 1,082 votes in the 2007 elections. It is one of the two parties which claim to represent the Russian minority in Estonia. This party is more conservative and nationalistic, compared with the United People's Party that... (Vene Erakond Eestis) |
Minority interests Political parties of minorities Ethnic parties aim to represent an ethnic group in a political system, be it a sovereign state or a subnational entity. An alternate designation is 'Political parties of minorities', but they should not be mistaken with regionalist or separatist parties, whose purpose is territorial autonomy.-... |
5,029 | 0.9% | 0.7% | — | — | — |
| Party Estonian Christian Democrats (Erakond Eesti Kristlikud Demokraadid) |
Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
2,934 | 0.5% | 1.2% | — | — | — |
| Estonian Independence Party Estonian Independence Party The Estonian Independence Party is a nationalist political party in Estonia. The party, founded in 1999, is a successor to the Estonian Future Party. One of the principal aims of the party is the withdrawal of Estonia from the European Union. The party is currently without parliamentary... (Eesti Iseseisvuspartei) |
Nationalism Nationalism Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what... , euroscepticism Euroscepticism Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state... |
2,571 | 0.4% | 0.2% | — | — | — |
| Independents | 15,882 | 2.8% | 2.7% | — | — | — | |
| Total valid votes | 575,133 | 100.0% | 101 | ||||
|
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The turnout of the election was 63,53%, higher than in the 2 previous elections in 2003 and 2007.
Report on Internet voting
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human RightsOffice for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is the principal institution of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe dealing with the "human dimension" of security. The office, originally named Office for Free Elections, was created in 1990 by the Charter of Paris and...
of the OSCE observed this election and issued a report with a number of recommendations.
External links
- Estonian National Electoral Committee
- Poll ratings of political parties
- NSD: European Election Database - Estonia publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2011