Crisis Phase (September 6, 1991-March 14, 1997): Estonia formally achieved its independence from the Soviet Union on September 6, 1991. Prime Minister Edgar Savisaar resigned on January 23, 1992, and Tiit Vahi formed a provisional government on January 30, 1992. A constitution was approved in a referendum on June 28, 1992. Parliamentary elections were held on September 20, 1992, and the Fatherland Coalition (FC) won 29 out of 101 seats in the parliament (Riigikogu). The Safe Home (Kindel Kogu – KK) won 17 seats in the parliament. Lennart Meri of the FC was elected president in a run-off election in the parliament on October 5, 1992. The Council of Europe (COE) Parliamentary Assembly sent observers to monitor the elections, and reported that the elections were free and fair. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) established an election observation mission to monitor the presidential and parliamentary elections. The International Foundation of Election Systems (IFES) sent three observers to monitor the elections. Mart Laar formed a coalition government on October 21, 1992. President Meri established the Estonian Institute for Human Rights on December 10, 1992. On December 10, 1992, the OSCE Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) established the OSCE Mission to Estonia to facilitate dialogue between the government and ethnic-Russians. The OSCE mission, which consisted of six personnel, began its work in Tallinn and Narva on February 15, 1993. The United Nations sent a fact-finding mission to Estonia on February 7-11, 1993, and reported that they had not established or observed “any specific instances of discrimination.” The COE Parliamentary Assembly began a human rights monitoring mission in Estonia following its admission to the organization on May 14, 1993. Ethnic Russians in Narva and Sillamae voted for autonomy in a referendum on July 16-17, 1993, but the Estonian government declared the referendum illegal. The government of Prime Minister Laar collapsed as a result of a non-confidence vote on September 26, 1994, and Andres Tarand formed a government October 27, 1994. Parliamentary elections were held on March 5, 1995, and the Safe Haven Coalition (SHC) won 41 out of 101 seats in the parliament. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission to monitor the parliamentary elections. Tiit Vahi formed a coalition government as prime minister on April 12, 1995. President Meri was re-elected president by the parliament on September 20, 1996. Prime Minister Vahi formed a new coalition government as prime minister on December 1, 1996. The COE Parliamentary Assembly ended its human rights monitoring mission in Estonian on January 30, 1997. On February 25, 1997, Prime Minister Vahi resigned after narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote in the parliament. Mart Siimann of the Estonian Coalition Party (ECP) was appointed prime minister on February 27, 1997, and he formed a coalition government on March 14, 1997.
Post-Crisis Phase (March 15, 1997-present): Parliamentary elections were held on March 7, 1999, and the right-of-center United Opposition (UO), which consisted of the Moderates’ Party (MP), Fatherland Union (FU), and Estonian Reform Party (ERP), won 53 out of 101 seats in the parliament. The Estonian Centre Party (Eesti Keskerakond-EK) won 28 seats in the parliament, and the ECP won seven seats in the parliament. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission consisting of 14 long-term observers and 48 short-term observers from 16 countries headed by Michael Wygant of the US to monitor the parliamentary elections beginning on February 2, 1999. The OSCE/ODIHR mission reported that the parliamentary elections were free and fair on March 31, 1999. Mart Laar of the FU formed a coalition government as prime minister on March 25, 1999. Arnold Ruutel of the People’s Union (PU) was elected president by an electoral assembly on September 21, 2001. The OSCE Mission to Estonia was disbanded on December 31, 2001. Prime Minister Mart Laar resigned on January 8, 2002, and Siim Kallas of the RP was elected prime minister by the parliament on January 22, 2002. Parliamentary elections were held on March 2, 2003, and EK headed by Edgar Savisaar won 28 out of 101 seats in the parliament. The Union for the Republic-Res Publica (Uhendus Vabariigi Eest-Res Publica-UVE-RP) won 28 seats in the parliament. The British Helsinki Human Rights Group (BHHRG) sent observers to monitor the parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Juhan Parts announced his decision to resign on March 24, 2005, and Andrus Ansip was elected prime minister by the parliament on April 12, 2005. Toomas Hendrik Ilves was elected president by the Electoral Assembly on September 23, 2006, and he was inaugurated as president on October 9, 2006.
[Sources: Banks and Muller, 1998, 298-302; Beigbeder, 1994, 251-252; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), August 28, 2001, March 3, 2003, March 21, 2005, September 23, 2006; Keesing’s Record of World Events, September 1992, October 1994, February 1997, March 1997, March 1999; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) newsletter, February/March 1999; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) report, March 31, 1999; OSCE/ODIHR statement, March 8, 1999; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), February 27, 1997, March 8, 1999, March 9, 1999, March 18, 1999, September 25, 2001, December 20, 2001, January 17, 2002, January 22, 2002.]