The President of Estonia has approved a law on depriving foreigners of the right to vote in elections.

Estonian President Alar Karis has approved a law that deprives foreigners, including citizens of Russia and Belarus, of the right to vote in local elections. This was announced on April 9 by the ERR broadcasting company.

The Head of State signed the relevant constitutional amendment. According to him, the consequences of the change should have been analyzed in advance. He also noted that the Riigikogu (the Parliament of Estonia) should ensure that there are no negative consequences arising from the decision.

"Of course, the members of the Riigikogu understand that by amending the constitution, they have made a decision with significant consequences. <...> After all, the constitution is obliged to ensure both internal and external peace," Karis said in a statement.

In his opinion, if the parliamentarians decided to take this step, they are aware of their responsibility and have probably considered how to protect the unity of Estonian society in the future. The President noted that the decision to allow only citizens of Estonia and the European Union (EU) countries to vote is legal.

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The day before, on April 8, ERR reported that the Estonian parliament would consider a bill that would allow military personnel to destroy suspicious merchant vessels. It is specified that this measure will be applied only in cases of threat to human life or to prevent disasters.