Estonian parliamentary election, 1995

Estonian parliamentary election, 1995

1992 ←
5 March 1995
→ 1999

101 seats in the Riigikogu
51 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Tiit Vähi Siim Kallas Edgar Savisaar
Party Bloc "Coalition Party and Country People's Union" Reform Party Centre Party
Last election 17 15
Seats won 41 19 16
Seat change +24 +19 +1
Popular vote 174,248 87,531 76,634
Percentage 32.2% 16.2% 14.2%

Prime Minister before election

Andres Tarand
Party Moderates

Elected Prime Minister

Tiit Vähi
Coalition Party

Estonian parliamentary election of 1995 was held on 5 March 1995. Threshold was 5% of the national vote, seven lists passed threshold. In brackets are the names of the parties/cartels in Estonian.

The governing parties were heavily defeated, except for Reform Party, successor of Estonian Liberal Democratic Party. The biggest winner was election cartel consisting of Coalition Party and its rural allies. The cartel won 41 seats which is the best result in Estonian parliamentary election so far.

National Coalition Party Fatherland (Rahvuslik Koonderakond Isamaa) and Estonian National Independence Party formed an electoral cartel this time, nevertheless they got only eight seats in Riigikogu. Electoral list Right-wingers which included members of Fatherland splinter group Republicans’ and Conservatives’ People’s Party managed to pass the threshold with exactly 5% share of votes.

Social Democrats and Rural Centre Party presented a joined list again and soon after the election formed a new party called Moderates.

Election newcomer was Our Home is Estonia!, a Russian ethnic minority cartel. Among the lists that didn’t pass the threshold were a cartel known as the Fourth Power, formed consisting of the Royalists and Greens.

The defeat of the governing centre-right parties came as no surprise as the coalition parties had already been defeated in the local election 1993. The majority of the voters were disenchanted with coalition’s shock therapy policies and scandals which had already brought about the dismissal of Prime Minister Mart Laar. Laar’s premiership was also characterised with internal fights between coalition partners as well as different groups in his own Fatherland party. This led to a split in 1994, when several groups left Fatherland party.

After the election Coalition Party under the leadership of Tiit Vähi and the rural parties formed government coalition with the Estonian Centre Party, the government collapsed, however, as early as autumn 1995, after the so-called Tape scandal. As a consequence, the Centre party was replaced with Reform Party in the government. This coalition which suffered from internal disagreements and clashes between liberal Reform Party and centre-left rural parties ended in 1996, when Reform Party left the government. Coalition Party and its rural allies continued as minority government until the next regular election, March 1999.

Results

Party Ideology Votes  % swing MPs % of MPs % of MPs swing
Bloc "Coalition Party and Country People's Union"
(Valimisliit "Koonderakond ja Maarahva Ühendus")
Liberalism,
agrarianism
174,248 32.2% 15.7% 41 40.6% 23.8%
Estonian Reform Party
(Eesti Reformierakond)
Liberalism 87,531 16.2% 16.2% 19 18.8% 18.8%
Estonian Centre Party
(Eesti Keskerakond)
Social liberalism 76,634 14.2% 1.9% 16 15.8% 1.0%
Bloc "Fatherland and ENIP Union"
(Valimisliit "Isamaa ja ERSP Liit")
Nationalism 42,493 7.9% 22.9% 8 7.9% 30.7%
Bloc "Moderates"
(Valimisliit "Mõõdukad")
Social democracy
agrarianism
32,381 6.0% 3.7% 6 5.9% 5.9%
Bloc "Our Home Is Estonia!"
(Valimisliit "Meie Kodu On Eestimaa")
Minority interests 31,763 6.0% 6.0% 6 5.9% 5.9%
Bloc "Right-wing"
(Valimisliit "Parempoolsed")
Conservatism 27,053 5.0% 5.0% 5 5.0% 5.0%
Bloc "Better Estonia / Estonian Citizen"
(Valimisliit "Parem Eesti / Eesti Kodanik")
Nationalism 19,529 3.6% 3.3% 7.9%
Future Estonia Party
(Tuleviku Eesti Erakond)
Nationalism 13,907 2.6% 2.6%
Bloc "Justice"
(Valimisliit "Õiglus")
Democratic socialism 12,248 2.6% 0.7%
Estonian Farmers' Party
(Eesti Talurahva Erakond)
Agrarianism, Conservatism 8,146 1.5% 1.5%
Bloc "Fourth Power"
(Valimisliit "Neljas Jõud")
Royalism
green interests
4,377 0.8% 8.9% 8.9%
Central Union of Estonian Nationalists
(Eesti Rahvuslaste Keskliit)
Nationalism 3,477 0.6% 0.6%
Forest Party
(Metsaerakond)
Agrarianism
green interests
3,239 0.6% 0.6%
Estonian Blue Party
(Eesti Sinine Erakond)
Conservatism 1,913 0.4% 0.4%
Estonian Democratic Union
(Eesti Democratic Union)
Nationalism 316 0.1% 0.1%
Independents 1,444 0.3% 4.0%
Total valid votes 540,699 100.0% 101
  • Bloc "Coalition Party and Country People's Union" consisted of the Estonian Coalition Party, Estonian Country People's Union, Estonian Country Union, Union of Estonian Pensioners and Families and Farmers Assembly. The results are compared to the bloc "Safe Home" and Farmers' Assembly.
  • Results of the Estonian Centre Party are compared to the bloc "People's Front.
  • Results of the bloc "Fatherland and ENIP Union" are compared to the sum of bloc "Fatherland" and Estonian National Independence Party.
  • Bloc "Our Home Is Estonia" consisted of the Constitution Party and Russian Party in Estonia.
  • Bloc "Right-wing" consisted of the People's Party of Republicans and Conservatives.
  • Bloc "Better Estonia / Estonian Citizen" consisted of the Estonian People's Hunting Party, Estonian National Progress Party, Estonian Nationalist Party, Party Estonian Home, Party of South Estonian Citizens and Party of North Estonian Citizens.
  • Bloc "Justice" consisted of the Estonian Democratic Labour Party and the Party of Legal Balance. The results are compared to the bloc "Left Alternative".
  • Bloc "Fourth Power" consisted of the Estonian Royalist Party and the Party Estonian Greens. The results are compared to the sum of these parties.
  • Results of the Estonian Democratic Union are compared to the bloc "Democrats".

Turnout: 69.06%; 545,825
Invalid votes: 5,142; 0.94%
Valid votes: 540,699;
5% threshold: 27034.95

External links