Estonia

The Estonian Parliament

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Historical data on women

Data on women’s right to vote and to stand for election, the date at which the first woman entered parliament, and female Heads of State or Government

Women's suffrage

Date of independence: 1991
Notes: No information available
Year of first woman in parliament: 1920

Notes: 1920: Two women had been previously elected to the Constituent Assembly of 1919. Women were also elected to the Soviet Supreme of the SSR of Estonia which became the first legislature of Estonia after the restoration of the country's independence on 20 August 1991
Year of first woman speaker: 2003

Women’s right to vote

Women’s right to vote: 1918
National or local: National
Restricted or universal suffrage: Universal

Notes: When Estonia was first independent, in 1918, women were granted the right to vote (by the Election law of the Constituent Assembly). Under Soviet administration, women qually had the right to vote and this right was confirmed at independence in 1990.

Women’s right to stand for election

Women's right to stand for election: 1918
National or local: National
Restricted or universal: No information available