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1992 Estonian parliamentary election

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1992 Estonian parliamentary election
Estonia
← 1990 20 September 1992 1995 →

All 101 seats in the Riigikogu
51 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader Vote % Seats
Pro Patria Mart Laar 22.00 29
Safe Home Riivo Sinijärv 13.60 17
Popular Front Edgar Savisaar 12.25 15
Moderates Marju Lauristin 9.73 12
ERSP Jüri Adams 8.79 10
Royalists Kalle Kulbok 7.12 8
EK Tiina Benno 6.89 8
Greens Jüri Liim 2.62 1
EEE Tiit Made 2.39 1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Prime Minister of the Interim Government before Prime Minister after election
Tiit Vähi Mart Laar
Bloc "Fatherland"

Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia alongside presidential elections on 20 September 1992,[1] the first after regaining independence from the Soviet Union. The newly elected 101 members of the 7th Riigikogu assembled at Toompea Castle in Tallinn within ten days of the election. Following the elections, the five-party Fatherland Bloc led by Mart Laar formed a government together with national-conservative Estonian National Independence Party and centrist Moderates alliance. Voter turnout was 68%.[2]

Campaign

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Several alliances were formed prior to the elections.

Alliance Members Ideology
Fatherland Bloc Christian Democratic Party, Conservative People's Party, Christian Democratic Union, Republican Coalition Party, Liberal Democrat Party Radical pro-reform, Estonian nationalism, Conservatism
Estonian Citizen Party of the Estonian Republic, Society of Healthy Lifestyle of Noarootsi Estonian nationalism
Greens Party of Estonian Greens, Estonian Green Movement, European Youth Forest Action, Green Maardu Association, Green Regiment Green politics
Left Option Democratic Labour Party Democratic socialism
Moderates Social Democratic Party, Estonian Rural Centre Party Centrism
Popular Front Centre Party, Popular Front, Association of Estonian Nationalities, Union of Estonian Women Moderate pro-reform
Safe Home Coalition Party, Country People's Union Centrism, Liberalism

Conduct

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Several issues were recorded during the elections; numerous people voted in a booth at the same time while other voters failed to keep their votes secret, causing inconsistencies. Officials also failed to standardize in voting materials and ballot-counting. The existence of a preliminary two-week voting period also led to concerns about ballot security among officials.

The most difficult aspect of the elections was the matter of citizenship and who was eligible to vote. In order to be considered a citizen, people had to prove that they, their parents, or their grandparents were citizens of the pre-World War II Republic of Estonia. This was extremely difficult, as many families had no documentation of their citizenship. Non-citizens had to have lived in Estonia for two years, passed a test, and waited another year in order to be considered for citizenship. This made voting nearly impossible for some individuals. Outside the capital, officials determined who or who was not a citizen in a process that took 10–15 minutes, but in Tallinn, the process was more extensive as the necessary officials were not near the voting booths. This led to embarrassment on behalf of the officials and frustration by the voters, many of whom never cast their vote because of the hassle of proving citizenship.[3]

Despite these issues, the elections were largely conducted smoothly and cooperatively. There were concerns about the Russian minority within Estonia as tensions were high due to new definitions of citizenship, but confrontation was avoided. Ambassadors representing the Russian minority gave statements and held interviews to assure the public that they were open to communication and wished to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution.[3]

Results

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Parties like the Popular Front of Estonia and the Estonian National Independence Party had achieved great success during the Singing Revolution and attempted to capitalize on this success during the elections. The well-established parties fared poorly, as they were unable to adapt and appeared conservative compared to new parties such as the Estonian Citizen and Fatherland Bloc. Following the elections, the Popular Front disbanded.[2]

The frivolous Independent Royalist Party of Estonia surprisingly gained eight seats in the new parliament; a satirical party that campaigned under the intention to establish Estonia as a monarchy, they spent one kroon on their election campaign.

Although the Greens and Estonian Entrepreneurs' Party did not cross the electoral threshold, a candidate from each party received enough votes in their constituency to be elected through an individual mandate.

PartyVotes%Seats
Fatherland Bloc100,82822.0029
Safe Home62,32913.6017
Popular Front of Estonia56,12412.2515
Moderates (ESDPEMK)44,5779.7312
Estonian National Independence Party40,2608.7910
Independent Royalist Party32,6387.128
Estonian Citizen31,5536.898
Estonian Union of Pensioners17,0113.710
Farmers' Assembly13,3562.910
Greens12,0092.621
Estonian Entrepreneurs' Party10,9462.391
Left Option7,3741.610
National Party of the Illegally Repressed4,2630.930
Handicapped Union2,2620.490
Mercy1,8520.400
The Democrats7440.160
Natural Law Party3680.080
Independents19,7534.310
Total458,247100.00101
Valid votes458,24797.99
Invalid/blank votes9,3812.01
Total votes467,628100.00
Registered voters/turnout689,24167.85
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p57 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ a b Grofman, Bernard, Evald Mikkel, and Rein Taagepera. "Electoral Systems Change in Estonia, 1989–1993" Journal of Baltic Studies 30, no. 3 (September 1999): 227–49
  3. ^ a b Republic of Estonia: An Assessment of the Election to the Riigikogu and the Presidency, September 16-24, 1992 IFES
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