General Elections 02. March 2003

Estonia went to the polls on March 2, 2003, to elect the 101 members of the country’s unicameral parliament (the Riigikogu) for the next four years.

The results are as follows:
Estonian Centre Party, centrist - 28 places
Res Publica, conservative - 28
Estonian Reform Party, liberal - 19
Estonians People's Union, conservative - 13
Fatherland Union, conservative - 7
People's Party Moderates, social-democratic - 6

As you can see the Estonian Social Democratic Labour Party didn’t get any seats. Only 0,4% of voters supported us. The two main reasons are: first, Estonian laws don't regulate how much a party can spend on pre-election advertising. All parties who won seats in the Riigikogu spent about one million euros. We never had this kind of money. Second, for historical reasons, people fear everything that sounds like Socialism.

Estonia's general election has ended in deadlock, with two opposing parties winning the same number of seats in parliament.

The Centre Party, led by formerly disgraced ex-minister Edgar Savisaar, won the most votes, gaining 25.4% of Sunday's poll, according to provisional results.
That translates into 28 seats in the 101-member parliament - exactly the same as newly-formed conservative group Res Publica, who won fractionally fewer votes.
Estonians therefore have to wait and see who will lead their next government, one which is expected to take the state into both NATO and the European Union.
For the past year, his Centre Party has formed part of the current coalition government under Prime Minister Siim Kallas of the right-of-centre Reform Party.
The Reform Party limped into third place in the election, with 17.7% of the votes and 19 seats.
The horse-trading will now begin for a new coalition, and Mr Savisaar may yet find himself shut out of government.
Res Publica, which was formed only a year ago, has already ruled out an alliance with Mr Savisaar.
"The only party with which we are not prepared to enter coalition talks is the Centre Party," Res Publica leader Juhan Parts said on Estonian television.
Res Publica campaigned on an anti-crime, anti-corruption platform, and was one the harshest critics of the controversial Mr Savisaar. They have claimed to represent 'the new politics' although their program is rather conservative as well as somewhat Utopian.
However all parties agree on Estonia's pro-West orientation, its drive to join the EU and NATO.
President Arnold Rüütel has two weeks to nominate a prime minister, who would then have to present a cabinet to parliament for approval. He has said he will not nominate anyone before Wednesday .

Sirje Kingsepp
Secretary of International Affairs
04. March 2003