EKRE proposes cutting election deposit to 220 euros

Estonia’s Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) has proposed reducing the deposit required per candidate in parliamentary elections from 946 euros to 220 euros, ERR reported.

The party’s parliamentary group wants the deposit tied to the subsistence level rather than the monthly minimum wage. Under current rules, the deposit per candidate equals the minimum monthly wage in the year an election is called. As of October 2026, that amount is 946 euros.

A party may nominate up to 125 candidates, making the deposit for a full list 118,250 euros. EKRE says that is an excessive barrier for new and smaller political groups without state funding or accumulated financial resources, limiting their ability to compete.

The proposal would set the deposit at the subsistence level for a person living alone or the first member of a family. That level is 220 euros a month from January 1, 2026. EKRE says the change would lower the cost of submitting a full list to 27,500 euros, a reduction of about 77 percent, while still discouraging lists it considers clearly unjustified.

Earlier proposals to change the deposit

Former Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said the existing deposit, equal to one month’s minimum wage, could not be considered disproportionate. She noted that the Supreme Court had previously found a deposit twice as high, equal to two months’ minimum wage, constitutional.

Madise had also urged parliament to consider removing the deposit requirement. In a 2019 address, she suggested allowing candidates to demonstrate their seriousness either by paying a deposit or collecting a set number of supporting signatures. She said the requirement is intended to reduce the risk that voters back candidates or lists that fail to cross the electoral threshold and win no seats.

The next parliamentary election is scheduled for March 7 next year, with the deadline for nominating candidates on January 21.

The Estonian Greens have also won a challenge over the deposit for the latest European Parliament elections. The European Court found that the deposit amount was too high.