Parliamentary parties feel Political Parties Act needs changes
Parties represented in the Riigikogu agree the Political Parties Act needs clearer rules on donations and the role of affiliated organizations.
Two bills aimed at amending the Political Parties Act are currently under review in the Riigikogu. A proposal from the Social Democrats entered proceedings in early November. Another, initiated by the government, passed its first reading in the spring but has not moved forward since. Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart said that changing the law and regulating party financing is a difficult issue for political parties.
"It's clear this will spark political debate and that could mean no real solution emerges. But the area does need further regulation," Kõlvart said.
Aleksei Jašin, deputy chair of Eesti 200, said the party's justice minister and the chair of the parliamentary Constitutional Committee are working to move the bill forward in the Riigikogu.
"Given recent developments, it's clear this is a pressing issue — both the decisions by the ERJK [Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee], which continue to generate debate, and the new criminal investigation," said Jašin.
Kristo Enn Vaga, secretary general of the Reform Party, said the suspicion brought against Isamaa should prompt the parties to reach consensus on the amendments.
"The Political Parties Act is the kind of law that should be agreed on by all parties and I hope that in light of this latest suspicion, parties will realize that legal clarity would benefit everyone," Vaga said.
"Isamaa certainly isn't in a position to lead the charge here. But of course it's in everyone's interest for ambiguities in the law to be clearly resolved," said Isamaa secretary general Andres Metsoja.
The Social Democrats said the law should include limits on donations.
"As Social Democrats, we believe it's important to amend the law, above all by setting a cap on how much an individual or entity can donate to a political party per year. Our goal is to set that limit at €100,000," said SDE secretary general Piret Hartmann.
Helle-Moonika Helme of EKRE said party members can belong to nonprofits and legal entities can donate to those organizations, something that cannot be prohibited.
"This issue has come up because of a specific case. Personally, I don't think we need to change the law because of it. I think parties themselves should consider how they could act more ethically," Helme said.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Johanna Alvin
