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Estonia’s MPs will pick its next president from a field of one
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Aug 28, 2021 08:44pm |
| Category | News |
| News Date | Aug 28, 2021 02:30pm |
| Description | Estonia is gearing up for an unusual presidential election in parliament. There will be only one candidate in Monday’s vote, a situation unprecedented since the Baltic state regained its independence 30 years ago.
President Kersti Kaljulaid’s five-year term expires on 10 October, and lawmakers in the 101-seat Riigikogu parliament must elect a new head of state to replace her in the largely ceremonial post.
As no further candidates registered by the late Saturday deadline, the director of the Estonian National Museum, Alar Karis, will be the sole contender. Karis, a former state auditor, is the only one who has managed to get support from the required minimum of 21 lawmakers.
Holding a vote with only one candidate has flummoxed the country, and several politicians have called for a complete overhaul of Estonia’s complex presidential election system. Some Estonians have even suggested that the small European country, where the prime minister holds most political power, should abolish the head of state post altogether.
Jaak Jõerüüt, a former defence minister and diplomat, said in a recent opinion piece that “elections with one candidate belong to the Soviet era. It is unethical, but, strangely enough, legal.” |
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