The Estonian parliament has approved a law that will further prohibit citizens of hostile third countries from donating to Estonian political parties, writes ERR News.
The government proposed amendments to the law more than a year ago, and along with the new ban, the powers of the Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee (ERJK) have also been expanded. On the 6th of May the amendments to the law were supported by 50 MPs in the third reading, while 22 were against.
Social Democrat MP Riina Sikkut said that the ERJK will now be able to request additional documents and invite individuals to appear for hearings. The MP pointed out that this will undoubtedly allow for better control over the financing of political parties and the use of funds during pre-election campaigns.
Helir-Valdor Seeder, the chairman of the parliamentary faction of the Isamaa party, speaking about the ban on third-country nationals making donations to Estonian parties, said that persons who are allowed to finance parties must also have the right to participate in politics and bear responsibility for its implementation. Consequently, these are only persons who can also run for office in elections – Estonian citizens and citizens of the European Union.
The ban is also a precautionary measure to prevent persons from potentially hostile countries from interfering in national politics.
If a prohibited donation is made, the party will have 30 days to return it to the donor, and if this is not done, the funds will go to the state treasury.
Estonia has already denied third-country nationals the opportunity to participate in local elections several years ago.
The amendments to the law have repeatedly sparked discussions about whether the ERJK is needed at all. The opposition parties Isamaa and EKRE are against the commission, and have indicated that the National Audit Office should deal with party financing issues. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition and the Social Democrats believe that the ERJK should be preserved. The Center Party believes that parliamentary groups have not had enough time to discuss the amendments.
The changes to the law also determine the active election campaign period, and Reform Party MP Kristo Enn Vaga pointed out that the new guidelines are rooted in a European Union directive. The campaign period for parliamentary elections will be from the moment they are announced, while for municipal elections – 90 days before the election date.
The amendments still need to be approved by the President of Estonia before they come into force.
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