From: thietaniemi@cc.helsinki.fi
Newsgroups: talk.politics.soviet
Subject: Democratic elections in ESTONIA?
Date: 7 Oct 92 03:53:48 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

I cut this one from Baltlist:

>              COMMENTS ABOUT THE ESTONIAN ELECTIONS
> 
> The nine member group of Council of Europe election observers
> found no serious violations in the Estonian Riigikogu or
> Presidential elections. However, delegation leader Friedrich
> Probst marked that minor technical discrepancies did occur, but
> characterised them as a young democracies children's sickness.
> The majority of the infractions occurred in Tallinn. Elections
> in the heavily Russian populated areas of Sillama"e and Narva
> occurred without any incidents or abnormalities.  The Council of
> Europe observer delegation will present a thorough account of the
> Estonian elections at a meeting of the Council of Europe
> Parliamentary Assembly from September 30 to October 8.
>                          *     *    *
> Swedish Foreign Minister Margaretha af Ugglas in a press
> statement noted that the Estonian parliamentary elections were
> another step towards independence and the restoration of
> democratic institutions in Estonia. The elections displayed
> Estonia's definite place in a democratic Europe and that the ties
> to the pre-occupation independent Estonia remain unbroken. Ms af
> Ugglas wished the democraticaly elected parliament success in
> their important work.
> 
>                  ESTONIAN - RUSSIAN RELATIONS
> 
> On September 22, the Russian government decided to take a rigid
> position in its dealings with Estonia. According to  Russian
> government spokesman Gennadi Shipitko, by denying the Russian
> community in Estonia the right to vote the Estonian government
> also denied them of their political rights, clearly demonstrating
> for the first time the extent of Estonian authorities' severe
> policies. Mr Shipitko added that the Russian government cannot
> remain indifferent to the status of Russian speaking residents
> in Estonia but did not express the possibility of cutting fuel
> or other supplies to Estonia.
>                           *    *   *
> On September 24, the Estonian Foreign Ministry delivered a note
> to the Russian Embassy in Tallinn expressing their astonishment
> over statements made by Russian government spokesman Gennadi
> Shipitko on September 22. The Foreign Ministry stressed that
> elections occurred in accordance with Republic of Estonia
> legislation and under the supervision of Council of Europe
> observers, who found no divergence from internationally
> established norms. The Estonian Foreign Ministry viewed the
> statements of the Russian government as threats directed toward
> the Estonian government and an attempt to interfere in Estonian
> domestic policies as well as influence the newly elected
> Riigikogu and President. In addition, imposing sanctions would
> be fully contradictory to the Estonian-Russian bi-lateral free
> trade treaty signed on September 7. "Estonia is a democratic
> country where the rights of all nationalities are protected. If
> anyone is in disagreement, they may express their views through
> appropriate international mechanisms, but not by threats," adds
> the Foreign Ministry note.

the observer

Tapani Hietaniemi, University of Helsinki