The Estonian government approved a constitutional amendment at a meeting on Thursday to strip Russian and Belarusian citizens residing in Estonia on a permanent basis of the right to vote in the country's municipal elections, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told journalists.

Under the amendment, Estonian citizens, stateless persons residing in Estonia and citizens of European Union and NATO countries 16 years old and over can vote in the country's local elections in accordance with Point 2 of Article 156 of the constitution.

The amendment will affect more than 70,000 Russian and Belarusian citizens who permanently reside in Estonia. A total of 42.5% of all Russian citizens then eligible to vote in Estonia cast their ballots in 2021 municipal elections. This figure for Belarusian citizens stood at 49.5%.

This constitutional amendment has been initiated by 61 MPs of the 101-strong parliament. All coalition parties support its adoption. They propose expediting the debate on the amendment to allow it to take effect before the next local elections in October 2025. Fast-tracking the amendment requires the votes of four-fifths of Estonian MPs.