Government#
parliamentary republic
System |
parliamentary republic |
Capital |
Tallinn |
Head of state |
President Alar KARIS (since 11 October 2021) |
Head of government |
Prime Minister Kristen MICHAL (since 23 July 2024) |
Legislature |
legislature name: The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu); legislative structure: unicameral; number of seats: 101 (all directly elected); electoral system: proportional representation; scope of elections: full renewal; term in office: 4 years; most recent election date: 3/5/2023; parties elected and seats per party: Reform Party (37); Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) (17); Centre Party (16); Estonia 200 (Eesti 200) (14); Social Democratic Party (9); Pro Patria (Isamaa) (8); percentage of women in chamber: 28.7%; expected date of next election: March 2027 |
Judiciary |
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 19 justices, including the chief justice, and organized into civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional review chambers); judge selection and term of office: the chief justice is proposed by the president of the republic and appointed by the Riigikogu; other justices proposed by the chief justice and appointed by the Riigikogu; justices appointed for life; subordinate courts: circuit (appellate) courts; administrative, county, city, and specialized courts |
Constitution |
history: several previous; latest adopted 28 June 1992, entered into force 3 July 1992; amendment process: proposed by at least one-fifth of Parliament members or by the president of the republic; passage requires three readings of the proposed amendment and a simple majority vote in two successive memberships of Parliament; passage of amendments to the “General Provisions” and “Amendment of the Constitution” chapters requires at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament to conduct a referendum and majority vote in a referendum |
Independence |
24 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 20 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union) |
Administrative divisions |
15 urban municipalities ( linnad , singular - linn ), 64 rural municipalities ( vallad , singular - vald ); urban municipalities: Haapsalu, Keila, Kohtla-Jarve, Loksa, Maardu, Narva, Narva-Joesuu, Paide, Parnu, Rakvere, Sillamae, Tallinn, Tartu, Viljandi, Voru; rural municipalities: Alutaguse, Anija, Antsla, Elva, Haademeeste, Haljala, Harku, Hiiumaa, Jarva, Joelahtme, Jogeva, Johvi, Kadrina, Kambja, Kanepi, Kastre, Kehtna, Kihnu, Kiili, Kohila, Kose, Kuusalu, Laane-Harju, Laane-Nigula, Laaneranna, Luganuse, Luunja, Marjamaa, Muhu, Mulgi, Mustvee, Noo, Otepaa, Peipsiaare, Pohja-Parnumaa, Pohja-Sakala, Poltsamaa, Polva, Raasiku, Rae, Rakvere, Räpina, Rapla, Rouge, Ruhnu, Saarde, Saaremaa, Saku, Saue, Setomaa, Tapa, Tartu, Toila, Tori, Torva, Turi, Vaike-Maarja, Valga, Viimsi, Viljandi, Vinni, Viru-Nigula, Vormsi, Voru |
Departments#
TODO. Ministries and authoritative sites, to be filled out.
Hierarchy#
How power is wired. The diagram below carries the generic template; refine the boxes and edges to match the current regime.
flowchart TD
HoS["Head of State"]
HoG["Head of Government"]
Leg["Legislature"]
Jud["Judiciary"]
Cab["Cabinet"]
Foreign["Foreign Affairs"]
Interior["Interior"]
Defense["Defense"]
Finance["Finance"]
Justice["Justice"]
HoS --> HoG
HoG --> Cab
Cab --> Foreign
Cab --> Interior
Cab --> Defense
Cab --> Finance
Cab --> Justice
HoS -.- Leg
HoS -.- Jud
Resources#
Public-facing portals the people use day to day. Operators monitor these for policy changes, official notices, and civil-registry data.
Resource |
Site |
Purpose |
|---|---|---|
National portal |
to be filled |
One-stop government services for citizens. |
Tax / revenue |
to be filled |
Income tax, VAT, customs. |
Civil registry |
to be filled |
Births, deaths, marriages, national ID. |
Immigration |
to be filled |
Visas, residency, naturalisation. |
Health |
to be filled |
Public health, advisories, vaccination records. |
Education |
to be filled |
Curricula, school directories, transcripts. |
Statistics |
to be filled |
Census, economic indicators, opendata. |
Police / emergency |
to be filled |
Reporting, missing persons, emergency contacts. |