| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Riigikogu / The Estonian Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
6 March 2011 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office |
The March 2011 elections were the first to be held following the global economic crisis that began in 2008.
In the previous elections held in March 2007, three parties in the outgoing government - Prime Minister Andrus Ansip's Reform Party, the Centre Party, and the Estonian People's Union - took a total of 66 seats in the 101-member parliament. After the elections, Mr. Ansip formed a new coalition government comprising his Reform Party (which won 31 seats), the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL, 19 seats) and the Estonian Social Democratic Party (SDE, 10 seats).
The country of 1.3 million inhabitants was severely hit by the global economic crisis, with gross domestic product (GDP) shrinking by 14 per cent in 2009. Prime Minister Ansip undertook a series of austerity measures, notably cutting civil servants' salaries and raising taxes. In May 2009, he dismissed the SDE ministers after they opposed the government's plan to abandon a planned increase in unemployment benefits. The Prime Minister argued that the country could not afford to pay such benefits with an unemployment rate at 11.4 per cent, while the SDE insisted that the government should increase income tax to generate more revenue. Prime Minister Ansip has led a minority government since.
The country's economy showed signs of recovery in 2010. Official statistics put GDP growth at 3.1 per cent and in December 2010, Estonia was admitted to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). On 1 January 2011, it adopted the euro. GDP is expected to grow by 4.2 per cent in 2011, the highest in the European Union (EU), although unemployment remained high, at 10.4 per cent.
In 2011, the Prime Minister's coalition government was challenged by the Centre Party, the SDE, the Estonian Greens and the Estonian People's Union. The leading parties focused on taxation.
The two parties in the outgoing government - Prime Minister Ansip's Reform Party and the IRL - pledged to maintain a single rate for value-added tax (VAT), income tax and corporate tax, set at 21 per cent in 2010.
The Reform Party ran on the government's record, underscoring economic recovery following the global economic crisis. The Prime Minister promised to invest more in education, provide support to needy children and families, and increase pensions. The IRL, led by Mr. Mart Laar, pledged to work to balance the budget, arguing that this objective should be enshrined in the Estonian Constitution. It promised to work for economic growth so as to reduce unemployment and to introduce a 13th month of pension for mothers with two or more children who have reached retirement age. The IRL said it would not enter into a post-election coalition with any party that would not give priority to budgetary balance.
The opposition parties promised to introduce a progressive taxation system, reducing the VAT on food to 5 per cent. The SDE, led by Mr. Sven Mikser since October 2010, promised to levy a 26 per-cent income tax on persons earning more than 1,000 euros per month while maintaining it at 21 per cent for persons earning less. The SDE also promised to triple the child allowance for all under-19s and guarantee each child a place in nursery, in addition to providing free education.
The Centre Party criticized the government's economic policies. It argued that the VAT increase and budget cuts had weakened the economy and affected the financial situation of many Estonians.
The Centre Party - led by incumbent Mayor of Tallinn and former Prime Minister, Edgar Savisaar - draws support from the Russian-speaking community in Estonia. It was reportedly losing ground due to a fund-raising scandal, revealed by the Estonian secret services (Kaitsepolitsei) in December 2010. The Kaitsepolitsei's report indicated that Mr. Savisaar had requested 1.5 million euros from the Russian railway company for his party's election campaign. He denied the allegation and retained his post as party leader and Mayor of Tallinn.
The leading parties, with the exception of the Estonian People's Union of Mr. Andrus Blok, rejected the idea of forming a post-election coalition with the Centre Party. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (SDE) stated that he would never propose Mr. Savisaar for the post of Prime Minister.
In all, 62.9 per cent of the 912,000 registered voters turned out at the polls. Of them, 15.43 per cent or 140,846 citizens voted online via their computer or mobile phone, up from 5 per cent in 2007.
The parties in the outgoing government increased their presence, together securing a majority in the newly elected parliament. Prime Minister Ansip's Reform Party won 33 seats, up from 31; and the IRL took 23 seats, up from 19. The SDE also increased its seats to 19, up from 10, while the Centre Party fell from 29 to 26 seats. The Estonian People's Union and the Estonian Greens failed to surpass the 5 per-cent threshold required to win parliamentary representation.
On 4 April, the newly elected parliament held its first session and re-elected Ms. Ene Ergma (IRL) as its Speaker. Prime Minister Ansip announced that he would continue to lead the coalition government with the IRL. Mr. Ansip's new government took the oath of office in Parliament on 6 April. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 6 March 2011 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
913'346
580'264 (63.53%)
5'131
575'133 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Reform Party |
|
164'255 |
|
|
28.56 |
|
|
| Center Party |
|
134'124 |
|
|
23.32 |
|
|
| Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) |
|
118'023 |
|
|
20.52 |
|
|
| Estonian Social Democratic Party (SDE) |
|
98'307 |
|
|
17.09 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Gain/loss |
Number of women |
|
|
| Reform Party |
33
|
2 |
4 |
|
|
| Center Party |
26
|
-3 |
7 |
|
|
| Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) |
23
|
4 |
4 |
|
|
| Estonian Social Democratic Party (SDE) |
19
|
9 |
4 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
82
19
18.81%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note on distribution of seats according to sex:
Nineteen women were elected on 6 March 2011. However after the formation of the new government on 6 April 2011, some members who had been elected resigned to take up ministerial posts. As at 11 April 2011, there were 20 women parliamentarians (19.80 per cent).
Sources:
http://rk2011.vvk.ee/
The Estonian Parliament (04.04.2011, 11.04.2011, 14.11.2012, 01.01.2014, 01.01.2015) |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
