Riigikogu opposition parties unhappy with blocked obstruction tactics
The opposition in the Riigikogu is not satisfied that the coalition MPs ended the possibility of taking breaks on Wednesday, and therefore the night sitting was cancelled. The coalition is of the opinion that whether and how long to take breaks will be decided anew for each bill.
On Wednesday evening, the Riigikogu coalition parties stopped the opposition Isamaa, EKRE, and Center from taking breaks to delay votes.
A draft law was being debated that, if passed, would allow voting in elections by mobile phone. The opposition had submitted 96 amendments and proceeded to take a 10-minute break before voting on each of the first seven.
"We had been discussing this particular draft for almost 9 hours – you could say that it was unambiguously clear to everyone what we were discussing, what we were deciding, what we were voting on. It was simply not adequate to make such a further delay by taking some 10-minute breaks," said Tanel Kiik, a member of the coalition SDE party.
Chairman of the opposition Isamaa faction Helir-Valdor Seeder said: "The judgment of the Supreme Court also states that a response to obstruction is justified if the obstruction paralyzes the work of the parliament in the long term. This is the first bill ever this year that has been the subject of so many amendments and where obstruction was intended."
However, Reform Party faction Chairman Erkki Keldo said several draft bills are waiting to be discussed and the opposition parties have submitted hundreds of amendments. This shows the opposition wants to repeatedly slow down the Riigikogu's work.
EKRE's Martin Helme said the coalition has ended the possibility of holding night sittings and allowing the opposition parties to comment on draft legislation.
"It was precisely the threat of provoking night sittings that often allowed the coalition and the opposition to sit down and seek a compromise, so that some of the opposition's amendments would be included in the draft, and in that case the opposition would withdraw all the others. This is no longer the case," he said.
President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) said a decision was made yesterday regarding the proposed amendments to one particular draft.
"It will continue to be possible to take breaks in the chamber of the Riigikogu to discuss important issues, and I believe that in the future it will depend very much on the opposition as to how they assess when it is expedient and justified to take a recess and when it becomes an excessive obstruction," he said.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Helen Wright
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera
