Nestor: Modern Democracy Means Voting Quickly, Safely and Online

Nestor: Modern Democracy Means Voting Quickly, Safely and Online

Bratislava, April 24 (TASR) – Democracy in modern times means giving people the possibility to vote online, safely and quickly from anywhere in the world, stated Estonian Parliamentary Chairman Eiki Nestor at a summit of EU parliamentary chairs in Bratislava on Monday.

“As many as one third of the votes were submitted online during the most recent parliamentary elections in Estonia. I only use a pen when I write letters to you, everything else is done online. I sign a new law online within ten minutes of its approval, the president [Kersti Kaljulaid] can do it within 20 minutes,” said Nestor as part of a discussion on how to bring national parliaments closer to the public.

Regarding this issue, President of the Austrian Bundesrat Sonja Ledl-Rossmann said that her Parliament regularly organises a democratic workshop for children aged between 8-14, a youth parliament for 15- and 16-year-olds and an apprenticeship forum for young people up to 24 years of age. “It’s aimed at strengthening democratic awareness by providing people with fundamental democratic values,” she said.

Head of the Greek Parliament Nikolaos Voutsis added that Greek MPs passed a Code on parliamentary transparency with a large majority last year. The document is aimed at combating corruption and extremist behaviour, such as hate speeches and xenophobia.