Chancellor of Justice: Decisions of the Russian-speaking meetings of Narva City Council may be unlawful

Chancellor of Justice Julia Madise stated that decisions made during Russian-speaking meetings of the Narva City Council may be unlawful. In an interview with Maaleht, Madise noted that reports in languages other than Estonian should be interrupted by the meeting chairman. She indicated that the legality of questions raised at the Russian-speaking meeting is questioned if the meeting itself is deemed unlawful.

“According to current judicial practice, such an error probably would not have a decisive significance,” Madise said. “However, if this represents a systematic violation and deprives the community of the opportunity to follow the City Council meetings, the situation may change. In such a case, the matter would take a serious turn and could result in the invalidity of these decisions.” Regarding the right to vote for non-citizens, Madise responded that the right to participate in local community life should be extended to as many people as possible, but ultimately the decision on denying voting rights would likely be determined by the Riigikogu.

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