Chairmen of the Riigikogu s parliamentary parties held a heated debate over the coronavirus restrictions on ETV s Esimene stuudio show on Wednesday (December 16).
The prime minister and chairman of the Center Party Jüri Ratas said that when establishing restrictions, the government is looking for balance in restricting the spread of the virus and the effect on economy and employment. He added that decisions are not made based on how popular they will be.
Ratas said that, regarding hospitals, discussions about closing scheduled treatment will soon have to be made as the number of coronavirus patients has increased.
Chairwoman of the opposition Reform Party Kaja Kallas said the party is expecting a plan about how to fight the coronavirus from the government.
On Monday, the draft marriage referendum bill will undergo its first reading in the Riigikogu and the opposition parties intend to vote it out. This would fail if every member of the coalition voted against it, but there are several members who have already said they will not agree to a future referendum. ERR s Estonian language portal examined how sceptical coalition members intend to vote on the draft.
The governing coalition of the Center Party (25 members), EKRE (19 members) and the Isamaa (12 members) has 56 votes in total in the Riigikogu, giving them a majority to pass legislation when needed.
No vote is required for the draft marriage referendum bill to pass the first reading, but the opposition can propose to vote the draft out of procedure and the Riigikogu. Chairman of the Social Democratic Party Indrek Saar and leader of the Reform Party Kaja Kallas have told ERR their factions will make a proposal to do so.