Legislation
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Legislation ![]()
- Constitution of Estonia
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CHAPTER VII: Legislation
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| Article 102.
Laws passed will be compatible with the constitution.
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| Article 103.
The right to initiate laws rests with:
(1) members of the State Assembly;
(2) a faction of the State Assembly;
(3) a commission of the State Assembly;
(4) the Government of the Republic;
(5) the President of the Republic for the purpose of amending the
constitution.
The State Assembly has the right to request that the Government of the
Republic introduce a measure that is recommended by the State Assembly and based
on a resolution passed by a majority vote of its membership.
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| Article 104.
The procedure for ratifying laws is established by the house rules law of the
State Assembly.
The following laws can be passed and amended with only the majority vote of
the State Assembly membership:
(1) the citizenship law;
(2) the State Assembly election law;
(3) election law for the President of the Republic;
(4) the local government election law;
(5) the popular election law;
(6) the State Assembly house rules law, and the State Assembly operating
rules law;
(7) the compensation law for the President of the Republic and members of the
State Assembly;
(8) the law of the Government of the Republic;
(9) the law for taking court action against the President of the Republic and
members of the Government of the Republic;
(10) the cultural autonomy law for minorities;
(11) the state budget law;
(12) the Bank of Estonia law;
(13) the state control law;
(14) the court organization law and the court procedures law;
(15) laws dealing with foreign and domestic loans, and laws pertaining to the
state's financial obligations;
(16) the state of emergency law;
(17) the peace-time law of state defense, and the war-time law of state
defense;
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| Article 105.
The State Assembly has the right to put a legislative bill or any other
matter of the state up for a popular vote.
A popular vote will carry with a majority vote of those participating in the
election.
A law passed by a popular vote will be proclaimed promptly by the President
of the Republic. A decision made by a popular vote is binding to the organs of
the state.
If a legislative bill put up to popular vote does not get a majority of
votes, the President of the Republic will call for a special election of the
State Assembly.
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| Article 106.
Popular elections cannot be used to settle matters dealing with budget,
taxation, the state's financial obligations, ratification or rejection of
foreign agreements, effecting and calling off a state of emergency, and issues
of state defense.
The procedure for a popular election will be set by the popular election law.
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| Article 107.
Laws will be proclaimed by the President of the Republic.
The President of the Republic can leave the law passed by the State Assembly
unproclaimed and send it, within 14 days of its receipt, and accompanied by
appropriate reasoning, back to the State Assembly for further discussion and a
resolution. If the State Assembly again passes the law returned by the
President of the Republic in its unchanged form, the President of the Republic
will either proclaim the law or turn to the State Court with a request to
declare the law unconstitutional. If the State Court determines the law to be
in compliance with the constitution, the President of the Republic will proclaim
the law.
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| Article 108.
The law goes into effect on the tenth day after being published in the RIIGI
TEATAJA [State Bulletin], unless otherwise specified by the law itself.
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| Article 109.
If the State Assembly cannot convene, the President of the Republic can, in
case of immediate state need, issue decrees having the power of law, which are
co-signed by the chairman of the State Assembly and the prime minister.
As soon as the State Assembly convenes, the President of the Republic submits
the decrees to the State Assembly who will, without any delay, pass the law for
their ratification or rejection.
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Article 110.
A decree issued by the President of the Republic cannot enact, amend or
abolish the constitution, or any of the laws specified in Article 104, laws
enacting state taxes, or the state budget.
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| Preamble
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| General Provisions
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| Basic Rights Liberties and Obligations
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| People
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| Parliament
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| President of the Republic
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| Government of the Republic
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| Legislation
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| Finance and the State Budget
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| Foreign Relations and Foreign Agrements
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| State Defense
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| State Control
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| Chancellor of Justice
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| Court
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| Local Government
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| Amending the Constitution
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| Draft Law on Implementing the Constitution
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