Small parties struggle to raise parliamentary election deposit

Estonian parties currently outside parliament are considering whether to contest the spring elections to the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, ERR reported. The main challenge for smaller parties is raising the deposit required to register candidates.

Some parties have already confirmed their participation at board level, while others are still weighing their options.

The Eesti Rahvuslased ja Konservatiivid party, founded in 2024 by former members of EKRE, decided unanimously several weeks ago to contest the elections with a party list. Its chairman, Rein Suurkask, said the party plans to field candidates in all electoral districts.

“The goal is still to cross the electoral threshold, that is, five percent. That would be the main goal, and there is no room for doubt here. We believe that we will not settle for less; five percent is very important to us,” Suurkask said.

The party is compiling its lists and preparing its campaign. Suurkask said the programme would be based on the principle that the state exists for the people.

The Eestimaa Rohelised party will also definitely participate in the Riigikogu elections, its co-leader Rasmus Lahtvee said.

However, Lahtvee identified raising the candidate deposit as a challenge. The deposit for parliamentary elections is equal to one Estonian minimum wage per candidate. Based on initial calculations, the total could be about 120,000 euros for a party contesting the elections with a full list.

“A party that is not funded by taxpayers must also pay that amount, and if it is not elected, it loses the money,” Lahtvee said.

He referred to the Greens’ legal action over deposits for European Parliament elections, saying the party had initially obtained interim legal protection. No final decision has yet come from Europe, but Lahtvee said the European Commission had indicated that the amount was clearly high in the case of those elections.

The Eesti Rahvusliberaalid-Vabaerakond party has also recently contacted the Chancellor of Justice about the deposit. Its chairman, Märt Meesak, said political competition should be more open.

“If we do not have a rich mother-in-law who gives us money from the cupboard or a rich uncle somewhere in America, it is quite difficult. I think this is a serious problem for Estonian democracy, because this means we can never get new people or new opinions. At present, it is not the seriousness of the candidates that is being assessed, but the thickness of their wallets, and that is not good for democracy,” Meesak said.

Meesak said the party had become more active, but its board would probably make a final decision on participating in the parliamentary elections in November. By then, the Chancellor of Justice might also have responded on the deposit issue, he said.

Plans for Plaan B to contest the elections as a party have meanwhile fallen through. Urbo Vaarmann, the group’s representative in Narva, said Plaan B would not participate with its own list. Its members may still decide individually to run as independent candidates or on another party’s list.

Vaarmann said Plaan B wanted to oppose the excessive power of political parties and supported reforming the party system.