HELSINKI (AP) – Estonia is preparing for an unusual presidential election in parliament. There will only be one candidate in Monday’s vote, a situation unprecedented since the Baltic nation regained its independence 30 years ago.
President Kersti Kaljulaid’s five-year term expires on October 10, and lawmakers in the 101-seat Riigikogu parliament must elect a new head of state to replace her in the mostly ceremonial seat.
As there are no more candidates registered before Saturday’s deadline, the director of the Estonian National Museum, Alar Karis, will be the only candidate. Karis, a former state auditor, is the only one who has secured the support of the required minimum of 21 lawmakers.
The holding of a single-candidate vote has brought the country down 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 nation, where the prime minister holds the majority of political power, should abolish the office of head of state altogether.
Jaak Joeruut, a former defense minister and diplomat, said in a recent opinion piece that “elections with a candidate belong to the Soviet era. It’s not ethical, but strange as it may be, it’s legal.”
Formerly a Soviet republic, Estonia, a 1.3 million nation, regained its independence in 1991 and is now a member of the European Union and NATO.
If the people were directly elected by the president, the liberal Kaljulaid would be seeking a second term. Estonia’s first female president is reasonably popular with the public. But it hardly enjoys the support of lawmakers, according to reports, because of its frankness over other politicians and government policies.
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’ Reform Party and the Center Party, which form Estonia’s center-right coalition government, have backed 63-year-old Karis.
Both parties have praised him for his understanding of Estonian society and see his academic career – he headed the University of Tartu, Estonia’s leading academic institution – and works as an auditor as substantial strengths.
Tonis Sarts, an associate professor of comparative politics at Tallinn University, agrees with the assessment, but noted that Karis is a newcomer to foreign policy.
“He is probably one of the best-prepared candidates given the size of domestic politics, but he has had no practical experience in foreign policy formulation and diplomacy,” Sarts told The Associated Press.
Karis needs a two-thirds majority, or 68 votes, in parliament to be elected by secret ballot. The ruling coalition has 59 votes and is considered likely to garner the support of at least nine lawmakers from three opposition parties.
The right-wing populist party EKRE has proposed a candidate of its own, but did not have enough legislators to register it. The conservative homeland, a small opposition party, said it agrees with Karis on several issues, but gave its lawmakers a free hand in the vote.
Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are split between Kaljulaid and Karis, but the party has too few lawmakers and allies to propose that the incumbent president run for re-election.
Should lawmakers reject Karis on Monday, there will be two rounds of voting for Tuesday. If that fails, the election will be transferred to a special 208-member constituency that would vote for a new head of state in September.
According to the Estonian constitution, the role of the president is primarily to represent the nation abroad and to act as a leader of national opinion. However, the president is also the supreme commander of the Estonian armed forces, formally appoints members of the government, signs laws to make them valid, and has the power to veto bills.