Estonian parliament decides to drop legislation on dismantling Soviet-era monuments earlier turned down by president

TALLINN. Sept 27 (Interfax) - The Estonian parliament has decided not to pass legislation on the dismantlement of Soviet-era monuments after President Alar Karis turned it down.

On February 15, the parliament passed a bill amending the law to institute a procedure for removing from public space Soviet-era monuments, primarily those commemorating Soviet soldiers who fought to eradicate Nazism during WWII.

An ad hoc government working group recommended that 244 such monuments be removed from public space, and the government earmarked 1.42 million euros for that purpose.

President Karis did not sign the bill into law at the time, reasoning that it was "legally unclear and therefore contravenes [...] the constitution."

As the legislators noted, following the president's decision, the parliament could either amend the existing bill or encourage the Justice Ministry to initiate the drafting of an entirely different document.