1992 Estonian parliamentary election

none Estonia 1990 1995 Members of the 7th Riigikogu All 101 seats in the Riigikogu 51 20 September 1992 yes Mart Laar Pro Patria 29 22.00 Riivo Sinijärv Safe Home 17 13.60 Edgar Savisaar Popular Front 15 12.25 Marju Lauristin Moderates 12 9.73 #0021fe Jüri Adams ERSP 10 8.79 Kalle Kulbok Independent Royalist Party of Estonia 8 7.12 #1034a6 Tiina Benno EK 8 6.89 Jüri Liim Greens 1 2.62 #fcc410 Tiit Made EEE 1 2.39 Prime Minister of the Interim Government Tiit Vähi Prime Minister after election Mart Laar Bloc "Fatherland" 1992. aasta Riigikogu valimiste tulemused.svg Results by electoral district Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia alongside presidential elections on 20 September 1992,Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p57 978-3-8329-5609-7 the first after regaining independence from the Soviet Union. The newly elected 101 members of the 7th Riigikogu assembled at Toompea Castle in Tallinn within ten days of the election. Following the elections, the five-party Fatherland Bloc led by Mart Laar formed a government together with national-conservative Estonian National Independence Party and centrist Moderates alliance. Voter turnout was 68%. Electoral system Estonia used a combination of IRV (for president) and STV (for legislators) — a system that had been popularized by Rein Taagepera, an expatriate Estonian political scientist at the University of California.https://archive.fairvote.org/articles/reilly.pdf [bare URL PDF] Campaign Several alliances were formed prior to the elections. AllianceMembersIdeologyFatherland BlocChristian Democratic Party, Conservative People's Party, Christian Democratic Union, Republican Coalition Party, Liberal Democrat PartyRadical pro-reform, Estonian nationalism, ConservatismEstonian CitizenParty of the Estonian Republic, Society of Healthy Lifestyle of NoarootsiEstonian nationalismGreensParty of Estonian Greens, Estonian Green Movement, European Youth Forest Action, Green Maardu Association, Green RegimentGreen politicsLeft OptionDemocratic Labour PartyDemocratic socialismModeratesSocial Democratic Party, Estonian Rural Centre PartyCentrismPopular FrontCentre Party, Popular Front, Association of Estonian Nationalities, Union of Estonian WomenModerate pro-reformSafe HomeCoalition Party, Country People's UnionCentrism, Liberalism Conduct Several issues were recorded during the elections; numerous people voted in a booth at the same time while other voters failed to keep their votes secret, causing inconsistencies. Officials also failed to standardize in voting materials and ballot-counting. The existence of a preliminary two-week voting period also led to concerns about ballot security among officials. The most difficult aspect of the elections was the matter of citizenship and who was eligible to vote. In order to be considered a citizen, people had to prove that they, their parents, or their grandparents were citizens of the pre-World War II Republic of Estonia. This was extremely difficult, as many families had no documentation of their citizenship. Non-citizens had to have lived in Estonia for two years, passed a test, and waited another year in order to be considered for citizenship. This made voting nearly impossible for some individuals. Outside the capital, officials determined who or who was not a citizen in a process that took 10–15 minutes, but in Tallinn, the process was more extensive as the necessary officials were not near the voting booths. This led to embarrassment on behalf of the officials and frustration by the voters, many of whom never cast their vote because of the hassle of proving citizenship.Republic of Estonia: An Assessment of the Election to the Riigikogu and the Presidency, September 16-24, 1992 IFES Despite these issues, the elections were largely conducted smoothly and cooperatively. There were concerns about the Russian minority within Estonia as tensions were high due to new definitions of citizenship, but confrontation was avoided. Ambassadors representing the Russian minority gave statements and held interviews to assure the public that they were open to communication and wished to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution. Results Parties like the Popular Front of Estonia and the Estonian National Independence Party had achieved great success during the Singing Revolution and attempted to capitalize on this success during the elections. The well-established parties fared poorly, as they were unable to adapt and appeared conservative compared to new parties such as the Estonian Citizen and Fatherland Bloc. Following the elections, the Popular Front disbanded.Grofman, Bernard, Evald Mikkel, and Rein Taagepera. "Electoral Systems Change in Estonia, 1989–1993" Journal of Baltic Studies 30, no. 3 (September 1999): 227–49 The frivolous Independent Royalist Party of Estonia surprisingly gained eight seats in the new parliament; a satirical party that campaigned under the intention to establish Estonia as a monarchy, they spent one kroon on their election campaign. Although the Greens and Estonian Entrepreneurs' Party did not cross the electoral threshold, a candidate from each party received enough votes in their constituency to be elected through an individual mandate. Fatherland Bloc 100828 29 Safe Home 62329 17 #FFA500 Popular Front of Estonia 56124 15 Moderates (ESDP–EMK) 44577 12 Estonian National Independence Party 40260 10 #0021fe Independent Royalist Party 32638 8 Estonian Citizen 31553 8 #1034a6 Estonian Union of Pensioners 17011 0 Farmers' Assembly 13356 0 Greens 12009 1 Estonian Entrepreneurs' Party 10946 1 #fcc410 Left Option 7374 0 National Party of the Illegally Repressed 4263 0 Handicapped Union 2262 0 Mercy 1852 0 The Democrats 744 0 Natural Law Party 368 0 Independents 19753 0 9381 689241 Nohlen & Stöver See also Members of the 7th Riigikogu References External links Election results Estonian Electoral Commission Category:Parliamentary elections in Estonia Estonia Parliamentary Estonia