Online i-Voting System — Estonia’s recent parliamentary election has resulted in a resounding victory for the Reform Party and its leader, Kaja Kallas. With 37 seats secured in parliament, the Reform Party has emerged as the clear winner, setting a record with 31,821 personal votes, the highest number in Estonian history.
The official statement released last night revealed that the Reform Party secured 31.6% of the vote, a landslide victory for the liberal party. The election was a success for liberal parties overall, with the Reform Party, Eesti 200, and the Social Democrats increasing their mandates. A coalition requires at least 51 seats for a majority in the Riigikogu, Estonia’s Parliament, which has 101 seats.
The election had a turnout of 63.7%, with 615,009 Estonians casting their votes. In terms of absolute numbers, this is a record high for all elections dating back to 1918. However, the percentage figure is slightly lower than in previous years due to a new turnout methodology that includes all Estonians living abroad.
Over half of the total turnout, 313,514 voters, including Prime Minister Kallas herself, participated in the online i-voting, setting a new record for the country and the world. I-voting began on February 27th and ended on March 4th.
On election night, it took just a few hours to decrypt and count the votes, once again highlighting the quality of Estonia’s national digital ecosystem. The remaining 301,495 people voted in person with paper ballots.
This surpassed the previous record of 247,232 e-votes set during the 2019 Riigikogu election and the online vote at the 2021 local election, which saw 263,566 people cast a digital ballot. With each consecutive plebiscite, Estonians are adopting digital elections further thanks to a proven track security track record and unmatched convenience powered by the country’s digital government ecosystem.
Another significant victory for Estonian democracy is the record number of female representatives elected to the Riigikogu. Thirty women were elected, two more than in the previous elections.
Following the election results, Prime Minister Kallas expressed her gratitude to voters for their trust and confidence in her party’s work over the past two years. She also noted that the Reform Party would be taking the lead in the new government.
These election results are set to determine Estonia’s developments in the next four years, ensuring a secure and attractive business environment for investors to continue choosing Estonia. As the world becomes increasingly digital, Estonia’s success with digital elections and its national digital ecosystem has positioned it as a leader in the field, showcasing the country’s modern approach to governance.
