Estonia’s Parliament has approved a constitutional amendment that removes the right to vote in local elections for citizens who are not citizens of the European Union, primarily affecting citizens of Russia and Belarus.
This decision by the Baltic country stems from security concerns and the need to limit Russian influence, as more than 83,000 Russian nationals live in Estonia, according to the Estonian public service ERR News.
The Parliament supported the Constitutional Committee’s proposal for an urgent change to the Constitution. The expedited procedure for the constitutional change was supported by 92 deputies out of 101, with seven voting against.
To approve the decision, a supermajority of present deputies was required, meaning at least four times more votes in favor than against.
