The current Estonian government was able to legalise same-sex marriage following a recent election victory. One of the campaign promises of liberal Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was to open marriage to same-sex couples. Her coalition, consisting of two liberal and one social-democratic party, was able to fulfil that promise. 55 parliamentarians voted in favour of the bill, with 38 against.

Kallas expresses pride in her country, stating, "We are building a society where everyone's rights are respected and where people can love freely."

Recent opinion polls show that 53% of Estonian residents support same-sex marriage. Resistance to marriage equality primarily comes from Christian-conservative circles. Particularly among the ethnic Russian population in the country, opposition to same-sex marriage is significant.

With this legalisation, Estonia becomes the first Eastern European country to introduce same-sex marriage. Last year, Slovenia opened marriage following a court ruling. Apart from that, same-sex marriage is only legal in Western European countries.