Estonia amends Constitution to strip third-country nationals of right to vote.

Estonia amends Constitution to strip third-country nationals of right to vote.

International news Desk

According to global Times news agency Europe,The Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) passed an act amending the Constitution of Estonia, reads a statement, The global Times Europe media.According to the amendment, the right to vote in local elections would be revoked for third-country nationals residing in Estonia and, from the next elections onwards, after the coming local elections, stateless persons would not be allowed to vote in local elections as well.The Riigikogu supported the Constitutional Committee’s proposal to amend the Constitution as an urgent matter. The fast-track procedure for amending the Constitution was supported by 92 members of the 101-member Riigikogu, while seven voted against it. A four-fifths majority of the members present was required to approve the decision, meaning at least four times as many votes in favor as against.In the final vote, the bill to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (536 SE), initiated by 61 members of the Riigikogu, was adopted as law with 93 votes in favor and seven against. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of the full Riigikogu — at least 68 votes — for passage. The original version of the bill would have allowed Estonian citizens, stateless residents and citizens of European Union and NATO member states to vote in local elections. However, in a full chamber vote today, a proposed amendment supported by 55 MPs was added to the bill, revoking the right to vote in local elections for third-country nationals residing in Estonia, and — starting from the election after next — for stateless individuals as well.