Laas.
you write that nearly 10% Estonians have abandoned their electoral rights, yet you seem then to go on to say that in 1992 the figure was 32%, in 2003 it was 42% and in 2004 it was 73%. How did you get the 10% figure?

Just out of curiosity, what is the rate for residents of Canada?
Since our Estonian citizenships for the most part are acquired "by blood" the Canadian census figures should give us the number of people eligible to vote. This statistic is probably more relevant given the audience you seem to be writing to and would be of general interest.

Given my understanding of Estonia's citizenship law as presently set out in the constitution (põhi seadus), you are automatically granted the right to vote even though you don't live in Estonia (never have and probably never will), you don't have to understand the history, language or know how their political process works or even meet other normal obligations of citizenship such as paying taxes or serving your time in Estonian defence forces. In other words you could mark up the ballot any way you want and not have to live with the consequences.
Given the the article is written in English it seems primarily directed at readers with poor or non-existant Estonian language skills.

Ära pane pahaks, aga võibolla oleks parem olnud kui see tähtis teema oleks ainult ilmunud eesti keele lehekülgedel.

The right to vote doesn't incorporate an obligation to vote. Why should uninformed or indifferent citizens cast ballots? I'd say that voters have an obligation to acquaint themselves with the candidates and the issues before voting. Will the Estonian Central Council assist us in this respect?

If you call yourself "an Estonian" then passive indiference to elections in Estonia is not acceptable Our (meaning the Estonian) population is small. Every Estonian matters. Every vote matters. I would hope that it is every Estonian's free will and DESIRE (both in Estonia and abroad) to read, ask, and get information so that you will cast a meaningful vote. There really is no excuse.

kui inimene eesti keelt ei räägi... kas neil peaks olema õigus hääletada?

-kas üke põhitingimus eesti kodakondsuse omandamisel ei ole keele valdamine?

-miks on siis artikkel inglise keeles?

Possibly Maxim and Laas can confirm the numbers but it strikes me that there has to be at least 200,000 plus ruskies in the fatherland now that are citizens (passed the knowledge tests) and are eligible to vote. There are probably at least 20,000 Canadian Estonians by now but the number that bother to vote is probably less than 10% with a very high average age. I have problems with seeing how we can counterbalance the ethnic Russian vote and whether this in fact is desirable.

From style and content, Maxim can be spotted from quite a distance.
What is he trying to do, apart from look silly?

I agree Maxim=M=Anon . If not they are sharing the computer.
Five, ten minutes between comments. By the way this is what Maxim wrote recently, From EE Online archives.

Maxim. 21 Jan 2007 01:45
Teema: Lugemisvara (1)

" Soovitan kõigile käsile võtta Maret Ahronovichi viimast romaani mille tausta alus on just nimelt Ameerika Hääl. "

Siin on mis EPL online raamatukriitik Kivisildnik kirjutab,
" Väliseesti kirjandus pole kaua aega kogenud sellist ebaõnnestumist nagu Aronovichi Ameerika Hääle teemaline romaan. Viissada lehekülge kõige halvemat eesti proosat, millest soovitan võimalikult kaugele hoida. Paljutõotav materjal on ära solgitud, pole see ei ilukirjandus ega memuaarid, veel vähem dokumentalistika. " Siin on EPL "link".
http://www.epl.ee/kultuur/3715...

Muuseas , Maxim coudln't even get the authors name correct.
What a joke.

It's nice to see that non-resident Estonians are being urged to take the opportunity to exercise the right to vote.

Will young non-resident Estonian males also be encouraged to fulfill ther military obligations?

There is something to be said for informed non-residents casting their votes. The unfortunate truth is, that many, if not most, non-resident voters are under-informed, and will either vote the way someone tells them or not vote at all, rather than taking the time to become familiar with the issues faced on a daily basis by those who actually live in Estonia.

It can be difficult to do the research when language skills are weak and it's often hard to find the time to sit and read through all the material. Visiting a country rarely gives a thorough overview of day-to-day concerns.

I think the time has arrived that Estonia adopted the 5-year rule that Canada and many other countries have in effect.

Although I may not live in Estonia, my parents did and my children or grandchildren might in the future...All of us are fully bilingual in English and Estonian and have strong ties to friends and family who live in Estonia today.
Our home in this fragment of time in Canada does not undermine our committment to the well-being of Estonia and voting is a priority.

Some Russians will be voting with citizenship acquired with a fraudulent certificate of Estonian language proficiency.

I intend to vote to cancel out the effect of his ballot.

This is pointless discussion. All Estonian citizens have political rights. Where they live - does not matter. Screw election laws of Canada/USA/whaterver. Get sober.