Estonia bars foreign citizens from local elections, eyeing Russia

Estonia has moved to bar non-EU citizens from voting in local elections, in a move that targets the country's Russian and Belarusian population.

The Estonian parliament voted in favour of a corresponding constitutional amendment on Wednesday, which was proposed in view of Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.

The regulation must now be formally approved by President Alar Karis.

According to data from the Interior Ministry, almost 80,000 Russian and around 2,700 Belarusian citizens have residency permits in Estonia.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal described the decision as a "joint victory" and a "very fundamental decision."

"In our local life, decisions are not made by the citizens of aggressor states, but in our own country we are the decision-makers, he wrote on X.

Estonia shares a border with Russia and the Russian-speaking minority in the Baltic state make up around a quarter of its 1.2 million inhabitants.

The next local elections in Estonia are scheduled to take place on October 19.