Estonia: Opposition amendments may clog work of parliament

Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, will start processing hundreds of amendments submitted by opposition parties to block legislation if they are not withdrawn, deputy speaker Toomas Kivimägi (Reform) stated, ERR reports. Kivimägi said that he had asked the opposition’s Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE), Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond), and Fatherland (Isamaa) to withdraw their submissions or determine which of them could be answered with a written reply. If the opposition refuses to withdraw the amendments, the Riigikogu would begin processing the drafts in the order that they were submitted, Kivimägi said. He indicated that the ruling coalition would be prepared to call an extraordinary session of parliament in August 2023. Centre Party leader Jüri Ratas suggested that his party might be willing to withdraw its proposed amendments, saying that the stalemate did “no credit to Estonian politics.” Meanwhile, EKRE chairman Martin Helme insisted that legislation legalising same-sex marriages must be repealed.