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{{Short description|Grassroots parliament of Estonia 1990–1992}}
⚫ The '''Congress of Estonia''' was a rival ] set up in the ] during the process of Estonia's separation from the ], to challenge the power and authority of the ] of the ESSR. The Congress claimed to represent the highest authority on questions of Estonian statehood and citizenship, deriving this authority from the consent and initiative of the "citizens of Estonia". The aim of the congress was to "restore Estonian independence" based on a principle of '']'' with the pre-1940 republic of Estonia as established in ].<ref name="restoration"></ref> In practice this would mean ] to Estonia's Soviet migrant population, representing nearly 40% of the total.

] building, ], February 1992)]]
The '''Congress of Estonia''' (]: ''Eesti Kongress'') was a grassroots ] elected in February 1990 in then ]-occupied ] and actively participating in the popular ] to the Soviet rule, which resulted in the restoration of the country's independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991.

In September 1991, a ] was formed with half of its members elected from the Congress of Estonia to write a new constitution. The new ] was approved by the ] in June 1992, and the Congress dissolved itself in October 1992, once the freshly elected parliament of Estonia ('']'') had been sworn in.


== Activity == == Activity ==
After the Congress had been elected in February 1990 (in the first democratic nationwide elections held in Estonia since 1930s) it immediately posed a challenge to the authority of the other quasi-parliament in the country, the ] of the ] (which was elected in March 1990). The Soviet occupation regime had been imposed on Estonia after the first Soviet invasion and annexation of the country in 1940−1941, and the Soviet reinvasion in 1944.
In 1989 independence activists in the '''Committees of Citizens of Estonia''' ({{lang-et|Eesti Kodanike Komiteed}}) started registering people <ref> - ] - August 21, 1989</ref><ref name="lichr">[http://www.lichr.ee/new/publications/press_rel/2_eng.rtf
National minorities in Estonia] - Legal Information Centre for Human Rights, April 1998</ref> considered{{weasel inline}} to be Estonian citizens by birth according to the ] principle, i.e., the people who held Estonian citizenship in June 1940 (when Estonian independence ] lapsed) and their descendants. People that did not satisfy this criteria could register applications for citizenship. By February 1990, 790,000 provisional citizens and about 60,000 applicants had been registered.


⚫ The Congress of Estonia declared that it represented the highest authority on questions of Estonian statehood and citizenship, deriving this authority from the consent and initiative of the citizens of Estonia. The aim of the Congress was to restore Estonian independence based on the principle of '']'', with the pre-1940 Republic of Estonia, which had been established in 1918, as the foundation.<ref name="restoration"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402034012/http://www.esis.ee/ist2000/einst/history/restoration.htm |date=2007-04-02 }}</ref>
⚫ In February 1990, an election of the Congress was held among citizens so registered. The Congress had 499 delegates from 31 distinct political parties. The ] won the most seats, other parties represented included the the ], the ] and the Communist Party of Estonia. The permanent standing committee, the '''Committee of Estonia''' was chaired by ].


In 1989, independence activists had formed a mass movement called the ] ({{langx|et|Eesti Kodanike Komiteed}}) and started registering persons<ref> – ] – August 21, 1989</ref><ref name="lichr"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607005900/http://www.lichr.ee/new/publications/press_rel/2_eng.rtf |date=2007-06-07 }} – Legal Information Centre for Human Rights, April 1998</ref> who were Estonian citizens by birth according to the '']'' principle, i.e., persons who held Estonian citizenship in June 1940 (at which point Estonia's ] structures of state were systematically dismantled and reorganized, after the country had been ]<ref>See, for instance, position expressed by European Parliament, which condemned "the fact that the occupation of these formerly independent and neutral States by the Soviet Union occurred in 1940 following the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact, and continues." {{cite journal | last=European Parliament | title=Resolution on the situation in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania | journal=Official Journal of the European Communities | volume=C 42/78 | date=January 13, 1983 | url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Europarliament13011983.jpg}}</ref> by the Soviet Union), and their descendants. Persons who did not satisfy these criteria were invited to file applications for citizenship. By February 1990, 790,000 citizens and about 60,000 applicants had been registered.
In September 1991, a ] was formed of equal numbers of members of the Supreme Soviet and the Congress of Estonia. The new constitution was approved by referendum in June 1992. Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet were dissolved in October 1992. In September 1992 the first parliament ''(])'' under the new constitution was elected. The restrictive citizenship laws led to the ] a third of Estonian population.

⚫ In February 1990, the election of a body of representatives of these citizens – the Congress of Estonia – was conducted by those who had been registered. The Congress had 499 delegates from 31 political parties. The ] ({{langx|et|Eesti Rahvusliku Sõltumatuse Partei}}, usually abbreviated as ERSP) won the most seats. Other parties represented included the ], the ] and the ].<ref></ref> The permanent standing committee of the Congress of Estonia – the Committee of Estonia ({{langx|et|Eesti Komitee}}) – was chaired by ].

In September 1991, a Constitutional Assembly was formed of equal numbers of members of the Supreme Council and the Congress of Estonia to work out a new Constitution. The new ] was approved by referendum in June 1992, applying the constitution replacement process specified in the previous (1938) constitution as a matter of legal continuity of the ]. Both the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Council (the renamed Supreme Soviet) dissolved themselves immediately after the new parliament (''Riigikogu'') had been elected (and sworn in, as per new constitution) in September 1992.


== Politics == == Politics ==
{{original research section|date=November 2010}}
March 1990 also saw the ] of the Estonian ]. Unlike the previous Soviets, which had been formed in non-competitive sham "elections" and consisted largely of members of the ], the new Supreme Council, as the quasi-parliament soon started to call itself, was dominated by representatives of the ] (including members with no party affiliation, who had recently left, or still belonged to, the Communist Party).


⚫ The main distinctions between the political ideas of the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet (Supreme Council) were:<ref name="restoration" />
March 1990 also saw ] of the Estonian ], the first multi-party national elections in the Estonian SSR. Unlike the previous Soviet, which consisting largely of members of the ], the new Supreme Soviet was dominated by the ].


⚫ * The Congress of Estonia stood for the principle of ] of the Republic, in contrast to the "Third Republic" concept (after the First Republic of 1918–1940 and the Soviet Republic of 1940–1991), which was the Supreme Soviet's dominant position;
⚫ The main distinctions between the political ideas of the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet were:<ref name="restoration" />
⚫ * The Congress of Estonia, as the Citizens Committees before it, supported continuity in citizenship, as opposed to extending citizenship to all people with residential registrations (called ] in ]) in Estonia in 1990 (sometimes called the 'zero option citizenship' or 'clean state citizenship', {{langx|et|kodakondsuse nullvariant}}), including more than 300,000 occupation-era migrants from the neighboring Soviet Union.


⚫ Opposition on issues of substance between the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet over the first point was the primary reason that the Supreme Soviet did not "proclaim" or "establish" Estonia's independence during the 1991 ] in Russia, and instead, as a compromise, decided to "reaffirm the independence". In later constitutional debates and decisions, the Congress of Estonia prevailed regarding these issues.
⚫ * Congress of Estonia supported legal continuity of the Republic over declaring the a "Third Republic" (after the First Republic of 1918-1940 and the Soviet Republic of 1940-1991), which was the Supreme Soviet's dominant position;
⚫ * Congress of Estonia, as the Citizens' Committees before it, supported continuation in citizenship, as opposed to extending citizenship to all people with legal residency in Estonia in 1990 (sometimes called the 'zero variant of citizenship'), including the over 300,000 occupation years' immigrants from other regions of the Soviet Union.


A small number of the members of the Congress of Estonia were Estonians who had gone into exile during ], or children of such refugees. Some of the delegates from the ] commented on the similarity of the Citizens Committees of Estonia and Latvia (in the nineties, the Latvians had a movement analogous to the Estonian committees) to the American ], which were shadow governments organized by the patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of the ]. The American Committees of Correspondence played an important role in the events that led to the formation of the United States of America.<ref>Assertion based on an unpublished interview with a member of the Congress of Estonia</ref>
⚫ The opposition between the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet over the first point was the primary reason that the Supreme Soviet didn't "proclaim" or "reestablish" Estonia's independence during the ], but instead, as a compromise, decided to "affirm" it. This way, discussions over propriety of the ways could continue, but the independence would be freshly declared.
<!-- Citizenship-->


== Later developments==
In later discussions, Congress of Estonia prevailed in both of the above-mentioned points.


After the adoption of the new Constitution in 1992, a new Citizenship Law recognised the citizenship registrations of the Citizens' Committees as the initial legal registry of Estonian citizens. Citizens of the Soviet Union who had filed applications with the Citizens Committees were enabled to be naturalised on the basis of a simplified procedure. <!--By 1996, a total of 23,326 people – over 38% of those who filed a Citizenship Committee application card – had been ] by this procedure.<ref name="lichr"/><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/19990203064951/http://teia.pu.ru/english/ten28en.html |date=1999-02-03 }} Nov. 16–30, 1996 (teia.pu.ru)</ref> Other noncitizens had to pass exams pertaining to the ], Estonian history, and the Constitution of the ] in order to be naturalised. Alternatively, ] being a ] to the ], all former ] citizens qualified for natural-born citizenship of the ], available upon request, as provided by the law “On the RSFSR Citizenship” in force up to 2000.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227031737/http://www.eurasianhome.org/doc/Abstract_final.pdf |date=2008-02-27 }}, by Sergei Gradirovsky et al.</ref>
== Citizenship applications ==
According to the new citizenship laws, Soviet citizens who had filed Citizenship Committee application cards, could receive Estonian citizenship under a "simplified" procedure. By 1998 a total of 23,326 people hade been ] by this procedure.<ref name="lichr" /> Other non-ethnic Estonians had to pass exams in the ] and the ] Estonian history.


Over the years, the conditions of naturalisation were variously changed. {{As of|2007|05}}, a naturalisation applicant does not need to pass an exam in Estonian history anymore, but has to show preceding legal residence in Estonian territory (at least eight years, of which last five years must be "continuous", defined as spending at least 183 days of every of these years on Estonian soil) and stable legal income.<ref>Elektrooniline Riigi Teataja: from 2006-07-08 onwards</ref> -->
⚫ == References ==
{{reflist}}


=== List of notable members ===
⚫ ==External links==
* ]
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* ]<!--
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* Ahti Mänd (])
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* Kalev Ots (])
* Ilmar Palias (])-->
* ]
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⚫ == References ==
{{Reflist}}


⚫ == External links ==
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133634/http://www.kelam.ee/?mainID=50 |date=2015-04-02 }}
⚫ *

{{Politics of Estonia}}
{{Estonian elections}} {{Estonian elections}}
{{Restoration of Baltic independence}}
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Latest revision as of 04:13, 10 December 2024

Grassroots parliament of Estonia 1990–1992
The Congress of Estonia in session (in the Estonia Theatre building, Tallinn, February 1992)

The Congress of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti Kongress) was a grassroots parliament elected in February 1990 in then Soviet-occupied Estonia and actively participating in the popular nonviolent resistance to the Soviet rule, which resulted in the restoration of the country's independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991.

In September 1991, a Constitutional Assembly was formed with half of its members elected from the Congress of Estonia to write a new constitution. The new Constitution of Estonia was approved by the referendum in June 1992, and the Congress dissolved itself in October 1992, once the freshly elected parliament of Estonia (Riigikogu) had been sworn in.

Activity

After the Congress had been elected in February 1990 (in the first democratic nationwide elections held in Estonia since 1930s) it immediately posed a challenge to the authority of the other quasi-parliament in the country, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR (which was elected in March 1990). The Soviet occupation regime had been imposed on Estonia after the first Soviet invasion and annexation of the country in 1940−1941, and the Soviet reinvasion in 1944.

The Congress of Estonia declared that it represented the highest authority on questions of Estonian statehood and citizenship, deriving this authority from the consent and initiative of the citizens of Estonia. The aim of the Congress was to restore Estonian independence based on the principle of legal continuity, with the pre-1940 Republic of Estonia, which had been established in 1918, as the foundation.

In 1989, independence activists had formed a mass movement called the Estonian Citizens' Committees (Estonian: Eesti Kodanike Komiteed) and started registering persons who were Estonian citizens by birth according to the jus sanguinis principle, i.e., persons who held Estonian citizenship in June 1940 (at which point Estonia's de facto structures of state were systematically dismantled and reorganized, after the country had been occupied by the Soviet Union), and their descendants. Persons who did not satisfy these criteria were invited to file applications for citizenship. By February 1990, 790,000 citizens and about 60,000 applicants had been registered.

In February 1990, the election of a body of representatives of these citizens – the Congress of Estonia – was conducted by those who had been registered. The Congress had 499 delegates from 31 political parties. The Estonian National Independence Party (Estonian: Eesti Rahvusliku Sõltumatuse Partei, usually abbreviated as ERSP) won the most seats. Other parties represented included the Popular Front of Estonia, the Estonian Heritage Society and the Communist Party of Estonia. The permanent standing committee of the Congress of Estonia – the Committee of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti Komitee) – was chaired by Tunne Kelam.

In September 1991, a Constitutional Assembly was formed of equal numbers of members of the Supreme Council and the Congress of Estonia to work out a new Constitution. The new constitution was approved by referendum in June 1992, applying the constitution replacement process specified in the previous (1938) constitution as a matter of legal continuity of the Republic of Estonia. Both the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Council (the renamed Supreme Soviet) dissolved themselves immediately after the new parliament (Riigikogu) had been elected (and sworn in, as per new constitution) in September 1992.

Politics

This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

March 1990 also saw the election of the Estonian Supreme Soviet. Unlike the previous Soviets, which had been formed in non-competitive sham "elections" and consisted largely of members of the Soviet Communist Party, the new Supreme Council, as the quasi-parliament soon started to call itself, was dominated by representatives of the Estonian Popular Front (including members with no party affiliation, who had recently left, or still belonged to, the Communist Party).

The main distinctions between the political ideas of the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet (Supreme Council) were:

  • The Congress of Estonia stood for the principle of legal continuity of the Republic, in contrast to the "Third Republic" concept (after the First Republic of 1918–1940 and the Soviet Republic of 1940–1991), which was the Supreme Soviet's dominant position;
  • The Congress of Estonia, as the Citizens Committees before it, supported continuity in citizenship, as opposed to extending citizenship to all people with residential registrations (called propiska in Russian) in Estonia in 1990 (sometimes called the 'zero option citizenship' or 'clean state citizenship', Estonian: kodakondsuse nullvariant), including more than 300,000 occupation-era migrants from the neighboring Soviet Union.

Opposition on issues of substance between the Congress of Estonia and the Supreme Soviet over the first point was the primary reason that the Supreme Soviet did not "proclaim" or "establish" Estonia's independence during the 1991 August Putsch in Russia, and instead, as a compromise, decided to "reaffirm the independence". In later constitutional debates and decisions, the Congress of Estonia prevailed regarding these issues.

A small number of the members of the Congress of Estonia were Estonians who had gone into exile during World War II, or children of such refugees. Some of the delegates from the United States commented on the similarity of the Citizens Committees of Estonia and Latvia (in the nineties, the Latvians had a movement analogous to the Estonian committees) to the American Committees of Correspondence, which were shadow governments organized by the patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of the American Revolution. The American Committees of Correspondence played an important role in the events that led to the formation of the United States of America.

Later developments

After the adoption of the new Constitution in 1992, a new Citizenship Law recognised the citizenship registrations of the Citizens' Committees as the initial legal registry of Estonian citizens. Citizens of the Soviet Union who had filed applications with the Citizens Committees were enabled to be naturalised on the basis of a simplified procedure.

List of notable members

References

  1. ^ The Restoration of Estonian Independence Archived 2007-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Soviet Union Cry Independence – Time magazine – August 21, 1989
  3. National minorities in Estonia Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine – Legal Information Centre for Human Rights, April 1998
  4. See, for instance, position expressed by European Parliament, which condemned "the fact that the occupation of these formerly independent and neutral States by the Soviet Union occurred in 1940 following the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact, and continues." European Parliament (January 13, 1983). "Resolution on the situation in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania". Official Journal of the European Communities. C 42/78.
  5. Elections and Referendums in Estonia 1989–1999 – Elections to the Estonian Congress 24.02 – 01.03.1990
  6. Assertion based on an unpublished interview with a member of the Congress of Estonia

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