The benches have already been removed from the Session Hall of the Riigikogu, as have the tabletops of the rows and rows of MPs' wooden desks. While the historic furniture itself isn't being replaced, some elements do need updating.

Work on the furniture must be completed in time for the start of the fall session.

"We're replacing the cables, the control panels and also the fabric on the tabletops — which is worn out and faded after 13 years," said Ahto Saks, administrative director at the Chancellery of the Riigikogu.

Some MPs have tagged and dated the insides of the desk drawers. According to MP Juku-Kalle Raid (Eesti 200), who leads tours of the Riigikogu building, guests sometimes scrawl messages on the drawer bottoms as well.

"I've caught it myself, from the upper balcony — during our annual Open House Day in the spring," he described. "Perfectly respectable people of a dignified age scribbling something in here."

Estonia: Pioneering electronic voting since 1927

The Riigikogu was also the first parliament in the world to adopt an electronic voting system — in 1927.

"There were two buttons then — a black button and a white button," Raid said, explaining that white meant in favor and black meant opposed.

"And if you dig through the newspapers from back then, you'll see it completely baffled MPs back then — they couldn't believe this electronic voting system was fair," he noted. "Like in every parliament, they wanted to raise their hands and have a secretary count the votes."

When he first took up his seat as an MP, Raid also came across another curious find in his office at the Riigikogu.

"I found Rain Rosimannus' laptop in my office," he said, referring to the businessman and former MP. "It was a real brick of a thing. It had a note on it, and used giant floppy disks. So Rain Rosimannus, if you want your computer back — give me a call. I still have it."

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