Riigikogu

State Assembly of Estonia Riigikogu
XIV Riigikogu
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	23 April 1919 (1919-04-23)
Disbanded	1940–1991
Leadership
President	Jüri Ratas, Centre since 18 March 2021
First Vice-President	Helir-Valdor Seeder, Isamaa since 19 July 2022
Second Vice-President	Martin Helme, EKRE since 18 March 2021
Structure
Seats	101
Political groups	Caretaker government (54)   Reform (37)   SDE (9)   Isamaa (8) Opposition (47)   EKRE (17)   Centre (16)   E200 (14)
Committees	11 Committees Constitutional Cultural Affairs Economic Affairs Environment European Union Affairs Finance Foreign Affairs Legal Affairs National Defence Rural Affairs Social Affairs
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation Modified D'Hondt method
Last election	5 March 2023
Meeting place
Toompea Castle, Tallinn
Website
www.riigikogu.ee
Footnotes
Unaffiliated MP Raimond Kaljulaid votes with SDE, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart votes with Centre, Martin Repinski left Centre. Mihhail Stalnuhhin was expelled from Centre on September 6 2022. "Riigikogu liikmed". Riigikogu.

The Riigikogu (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈriːɡikoɡu]; from Estonian riigi-, "of the state", and kogu, "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and elects (either alone or, if necessary, together with representatives of local government within a broader electoral college) the President. Among its other tasks, the Riigikogu also ratifies significant foreign treaties that impose military and proprietary obligations and bring about changes in law, as well as approves the budget presented by the government as law, and monitors the executive power.

History

History

April 23, 1919, the opening session of the Estonian Constituent Assembly is considered the founding date of the Parliament of Estonia. Established under the 1920 constitution, the Riigikogu had 100 members elected for a three-year term on the basis of proportional representation. Elections were fixed for the first Sunday in May of the third year of parliament. The first elections to the Riigikogu took place in 1920. From 1923 to 1932, there were four more elections to the Riigikogu. The elections were on a regional basis, without any threshold in the first two elections, but from 1926 a moderate threshold (2%) was used. The sessions of the Riigikogu take place in the Toompea Castle, where a new building in an unusual Expressionist style was erected in the former courtyard of the medieval castle in 1920–1922.

In 1933 amendments to the first Constitution was approved by referendum, where more power was given to an executive President. The following year, the President used these new powers to adjourn parliament and declared martial law to avert an alleged coup. In 1937, a second constitution was approved by referendum which saw the introduction of a two chambered legislature, the Chamber of Deputies (Riigivolikogu) and the National Council (Riiginõukogu). Elections were subsequently held in 1938 where only individual candidates were allowed to run.

During the subsequent periods of Soviet occupation (1940–41), German occupation (1941–44), and the second Soviet occupation (1944–1991) the Parliament was disbanded. The premises of the Riigikogu were used by the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR during the second Soviet occupation.

Restitution of independence

In September 1992, a year after Estonia had regained its independence from the Soviet Union, elections to the Parliament took place on the basis of the third Constitution of Estonia adopted in a referendum in the summer of the same year. The 1992 constitution, which incorporates elements of the 1920 and 1938 Constitutions and explicitly asserts its continuity with the Estonian state as it existed between 1918 and 1940, sees the return of a unicameral parliament with 101 members. The most recent parliamentary elections were held on 5 March 2023. The main differences between the current system and a pure political representation, or proportional representation, system are the established 5% national threshold, and the use of a modified D'Hondt formula (the divisor is raised to the power 0.9). This modification makes for more disproportionality than does the usual form of the formula.

Latest election

Main article: 2023 Estonian parliamentary election

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Estonian Reform Party	190,632	31.24	+2.31	37	+3
	Conservative People's Party of Estonia	97,966	16.05	−1.71	17	−2
	Estonian Centre Party	93,254	15.28	−7.82	16	−10
	Estonia 200	81,329	13.33	+8.97	14	+14
	Social Democratic Party	56,584	9.27	−0.56	9	−1
	Isamaa	50,118	8.21	−3.23	8	−4
	Estonian United Left Party–Together	14,605	2.39	+2.30	0	0
	Parempoolsed	14,037	2.30	New	0	New
	Estonian Greens	5,886	0.96	−0.86	0	0
	Independents	5,888	0.96	+0.68	0	0
Total		610,299	100.00	–	101	0
Valid votes		610,299	99.43
Invalid/blank votes		3,502	0.57
Total votes		613,801	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		966,129	63.53
Source: National Electoral Committee

Current seat allocation

Parliament building in Toompea Castle: the seat of the Parliament.

Current seating plan

  EKRE: 19 seats

  Isamaa: 12 seats

  Reform: 34 seats

  Centre: 24 seats

  SDE: 9 seats

  Independent: 3 seat

  Empty seats

• Reform Party 37
  • party leader: Kaja Kallas
• Conservative People's Party of Estonia 17
  • party leader: Martin Helme
• Centre Party 16
  • party leader: Jüri Ratas
• Estonia 200 14
  • party leader: Lauri Hussar
• Social Democratic Party of Estonia 9
  • party leader: Lauri Läänemets
• Isamaa 8
  • party leader: Helir-Valdor Seeder

Structure of former legislatures

Estonian Parliament 1992–1995

29	17	15	12	10	8	8	1	1
Isamaa	Safe Home	Popular Front	Moderates	Independence	ERP	Citizen	Greens	EEE

Estonian Parliament 1995–1999

41	19	16	8	6	6	5
Coalition/Country	Reform	Centre	RKEI and ERSP	Moderates	Home	Right

Estonian Parliament 1999–2003

28	18	18	17	7	7	6
Centre	Pro Patria	Reform	Moderates	Coalition	Country	United

Estonian Parliament 2003–2007

28	28	19	13	7	6
Kesk	Res Publica	Reform	People's Union	Pro Patria	Moderates

Estonian Parliament 2007–2011

31	29	19	10	6	6
Reform	Centre	IRL	SDE	Greens	People's Union

Estonian Parliament 2011–2015

33	26	23	19
Reform	Centre	IRL	SDE

Estonian Parliament 2015–2019

30	27	15	14	8	7
Reform	Centre	SDE	IRL	EVA	EKRE

Estonian Parliament 2019–2023

34	26	19	12	10
Reform	Centre	EKRE	Isamaa	SDE

Estonian Parliament 2023–present

37	17	16	14	9	8
Reform	EKRE	Centre	E200	SDE	Isamaa

Speakers of the Riigikogu

The salary of the speaker is €5,288 per month.

1921–1937

Name	Period	Legislature
Otto Strandman	January 4, 1921 – November 18, 1921	I Riigikogu
Juhan Kukk	November 18, 1921 – November 20, 1922	I Riigikogu
Konstantin Päts	November 20, 1922 – June 7, 1923	I Riigikogu
Jaan Tõnisson	June 7, 1923 – May 27, 1925	II Riigikogu
August Rei	June 9, 1925 – June 22, 1926	II Riigikogu
Karl Einbund	June 22, 1926 – July 19, 1932	III Riigikogu, IV Riigikogu, V Riigikogu
Jaan Tõnisson	July 19, 1932 – May 18, 1933	V Riigikogu
Karl Einbund	May 18, 1933 – August 29, 1934	V Riigikogu
Rudolf Penno	September 28, 1934 – December 31, 1937	V Riigikogu

Speakers of the Riigivolikogu (lower chamber)

Name	Period	Legislature
Jüri Uluots	April 21, 1938 – October 12, 1939	VI Riigikogu
Otto Pukk	October 17, 1939 – July 5, 1940	VI Riigikogu
Arnold Veimer	July 21, 1940 – August 25, 1940

Speaker of the Riiginõukogu (upper chamber)

Name	Period	Legislature
Mihkel Pung	April 21, 1938 – July 5, 1940	VI Riigikogu

Chairman of the Supreme Council (1990–1992)

Name	Period
Arnold Rüütel	March 29, 1990 – October 5, 1992

Speaker of the Supreme Council (1990–1992)

Name	Period
Ülo Nugis	March 29, 1990 – October 5, 1992

Since 1992

Name	Period	Legislature
Ülo Nugis	October 21, 1992 – March 21, 1995	VII Riigikogu
Toomas Savi	March 21, 1995 – March 31, 2003	VIII Riigikogu, IX Riigikogu
Ene Ergma	March 31, 2003 – March 23, 2006	X Riigikogu
Toomas Varek	March 23, 2006 – April 2, 2007	X Riigikogu
Ene Ergma	April 2, 2007 – March 20, 2014	XI Riigikogu, XII Riigikogu
Eiki Nestor	March 20, 2014 – April 4, 2019	XII Riigikogu, XIII Riigikogu
Henn Põlluaas	April 4, 2019 – March 18, 2021	XIV Riigikogu
Jüri Ratas	March 18, 2021	XIV Riigikogu

Chancellery

The Chancellery of the Riigikogu (Estonian: Riigikogu Kantselei) is the administration supporting the Riigikogu in the performance of its constitutional functions.

See also

• List of members of the Parliament of Estonia
• Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Citations and references

Cited sources

• Miljan, Toivo (2004). Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Maryland, USA: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4904-6.

External links

• Official website
• Riigkogu's election law (in English)