Now that the dust is beginning to settle on the elections and we know that the current government will likely continue in it’s present form, it is time to take a look at what is for me, one of the most disturbing issues of the recent contest.
This is the issue of people standing for election, but not taking up their seats when they win. Edgar Savisaar is the most high profile example of this, although by no means is this a Centre Party issue – candidates in both Reform and the Social Democrats are just as guilty. In my (somewhat rose tinted) view, standing for your national parliament is something to be taken with the utmost seriousness. It is a duty to be undertaken soberly and with full respect for the legislature – not something that can be tossed aside if you lose interest. A certain Social Democrat has told Postimees that he will only take up his seat if his party enters the coalition, displaying a striking contempt for the role of legislator.
It also displays a huge disrespect for the electorate – when they go and vote, they are not only voting for a party but are influenced by the politicians they see day in day our on television and in newspapers. Soliciting votes when you have no intention of taking your seat is blatant deception of the highest order. The votes of the public are not a commodity to be re-assigned at a candidate’s whim – they are the building blocks of democratic society and should be valued above all else.
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