Riigikogu overnight session: coalition passed crucial bills, opposition called it "a night of nonsense"

Wednesday's Riigikogu session lasted through the night and ended Thursday at 9:30 a.m. The coalition pushed through a series of significant bills that the opposition unsuccessfully attempted to block.

Estonia's Riigikogu session on Wednesday stretched unusually long, with work continuing through the night and ending only Thursday morning at 9:30. Just half an hour later, the next session was already underway.

The lengthy session was the result of two interconnected reasons. The coalition had placed a series of bills on the agenda that were considered politically significant in the run-up to elections. This very significance motivated the opposition to attempt to slow down the bills' passage, and so the session dragged late into the night.

The opposition tried to obstruct the processing of the bills, but without success. Some opposition MPs made no effort to hide their frustration and offered a memorable characterization of the night's events, calling the overnight session "a night of nonsense."

This is a common parliamentary practice; coalitions often attempt to force through measures they consider politically important in the period leading up to elections. The opposition in turn uses all procedural means at its disposal to prevent this. On this occasion, however, the final word remained with the coalition.