How old is the new president of estonia. Democracy in Estonian: “some woman from Luxembourg was elected president

Government

President of the Republic of Estonia(Est. Eesti Vabariigi President) - the head of the Republic of Estonia.

Under the President of the Republic, as an advisory body, there is a so-called. National Defense Council (Est. Riigikaitse Nõukogu), which includes the President of the Riigikogu, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Riigikogu National Defense Committee, Chairman of the Riigikogu Committee on foreign affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense, Minister of Finance, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice and Commander of the Defense Forces. The president himself heads the council.

The task of the council is to discuss important issues from the point of view of national defense and to form a common opinion. Meetings are held as needed (in reality, they usually take place 1 to 3 times a year.

Informal powers

In addition to the powers prescribed in the constitution and laws, the President of the Republic also has a number of informal functions, which are conditioned by the traditions and personal qualities of the people holding the post of the head of state. Thus, the President's New Year speeches, the President's adoption of the parades of the Estonian Armed Forces in honor of Independence Day on February 24 and the Victory Day at Võnnu on June 23 are an established tradition. The President of the Republic is responsible for organizing the annual Independence Day reception, to which all the country's top officials and prominent public figures are invited (for many, this is a great honor and a sign of recognition). The speech delivered by the President on February 24 (Est. Iseseisvuspäeva kõne) is an important political event, since the President has the opportunity to express his vision of what is happening in the country and criticize the actions of the executive and legislative branches.

The President of the Republic also patronizes many public organizations and campaigns, such as:

Procedure for Election and Termination of Powers

Only Estonian citizens by birth who have reached the age of forty are eligible to run for the presidency. A presidential candidate is nominated by deputies of the Riigikogu (at least 1/5 of their number). The president is elected for a 5-year term. No one can be elected president for more than two consecutive terms.

The election of the President of Estonia is indirect: he is elected to the Riigikogu or a special electoral college if the Riigikogu fails to fulfill this task. In the first round, the members of the Riigikogu vote by secret ballot for the nominated candidates. If it is not possible to elect the president in the first round (a candidate for whom at least 2/3 of the parliament or 68 deputies voted for is considered elected), then the next day a second round is held, with the candidates re-nominated. If the president is not elected in the second round, then the third round is held on the same day, in which the two candidates who received the largest number of votes in the second round participate. If the President is not elected in the third round, the President of the Riigikogu shall convene an Electoral College consisting of members of the Riigikogu and representatives of local government councils. The electoral college is represented by two candidates who participated in the third round. In addition, at least 21 members of the electoral college also have the right to nominate a candidate for the presidency. The Electoral College elects the President of the Republic by a majority of votes of the members of the Electoral College who participated in the voting. If in the first round none of the candidates is elected, then on the same day, a second round of voting is held between the two candidates who received the largest number of votes. If after the second round of voting in the electoral college it is not possible to elect a president, the right to elect a president again passes to the Riigikogu and the procedure is repeated again in the above sequence.

The inauguration of the newly elected President takes place by taking the following oath before the Riigikogu:

“In assuming the office of President of the Republic, I (name and surname) solemnly swear that I will unswervingly defend the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Estonia, use the authority given to me fairly and impartially, faithfully fulfill my duties, exerting all my strength and abilities for the good of the people of Estonia. and the Republic of Estonia "

From the moment of taking office, all powers and duties of the President in any other elected or appointed office automatically terminate. The President of the Republic has no right to engage in any other paid activity. The official remuneration of the President of the Republic is established by the Riigikogu by a special law. During his tenure, the president is obliged to suspend membership in any party.

The powers of the president are terminated due to:

• voluntary resignation;
• the inauguration of the newly elected president;
• death;
• the entry into force of the court's conviction against him;
• persistent inability to fulfill the duties of the president for health reasons established by the Supreme Court.

If the President is unable to fulfill his duties, the powers of the President are temporarily transferred to the President of the Riigikogu.

History of the institution of the presidency

Decrees of President Päts on the resignation of the Uluots government and the appointment of the Barbarus government

Announcement of the Secretary of State on the Oath of Office by Members of the Barbarus Government

Parliament's decision to resign Päts from the presidency

The institution of the president was absent in Estonia as such from 1938. The first Estonian constitution was deliberately drafted in such a way as to prevent by any means the concentration of too much power in one hand. The functions normally vested in the president in parliamentary republics were divided between the speaker of parliament, the government, and the state elder, who actually served as prime minister and nominal head of state. However, the latter could not play the role of an arbiter in the event of a conflict between parliament and the government, since he himself was completely dependent on the deputies and could be dismissed by parliament at any time.

After the incorporation of Estonia into the USSR as a separate union republic (in modern Estonia it is interpreted as an initially illegitimate occupation), a new constitution was adopted based on the model of the USSR constitution, in which the post of president was not provided. During the Soviet period, the chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR was considered the formal head of state in the Estonian SSR, whose powers were minimal.

During the Soviet period, the government of the Republic of Estonia in exile also operated outside the USSR, the head of which was officially called “the prime minister, interim President of the Republic”. However, the legitimacy of the government in exile is questioned by some historians, since, according to them, it has not been officially recognized by any state in the world. The first Estonian government in exile consisted of persons appointed by the last legitimate prime minister of Estonia, Jüri Uluots (after the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum, which included a demand for the formation of a friendly Soviet government of Estonia, on June 21, 1940, Uluots' cabinet was dismissed by presidential decree

The guest of the program "Nemtsova.Interview" is the President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid. The members of the Estonian parliament elected her to the post of head of state in 2016. Kaljulaid is the first woman in Estonia to hold this post. Previously, she was the country's representative to the European Court of Auditors, an audit and economic adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar.

In his interviews, Kersti Kaljulaid usually emphasizes the need for EU-NATO unity. Zhanna Nemtsova asked the president how she sees her mission, why Estonia needs a NATO battalion and how many Russians are in the country's government.

Zhanna Nemtsova: You were elected president in October last year. What are your main achievements during this time?

Kersti Kaljulaid: I prefer to be judged by other people. It may be too early to summarize, but I feel the support of the Estonian people and the support of the leaders of other states with whom I managed to talk and get to know.

- In that case, what goals do you set for yourself as the President of Estonia?

My goal, as probably every leader has at this stage, is to give the European Union self-confidence, to help people realize that nothing tangibly bad is happening to the EU, despite the fact that the global situation around Europe is complex. and perhaps less stable than five or ten years ago. The main values ​​of the European Union were tested for strength and remained unchanged. The European project has proven to be cost effective in most of the EU countries. On this basis, we can build a stronger united Europe.

- What are the main challenges for you personally as the president and for the country?

The main challenge for any country is to achieve economic growth, as well as an equitable redistribution of benefits that would suit most people. For me, this means that the state must guarantee universal education. Its quality should never depend on the level of well-being of the parents or on where people live - in cities or rural areas.

Health care should also be available to everyone, regardless of income level. If the state can provide quality education and access to health care, then people will be willing to accept the difference in income and living standards. They will not think that maybe democracy is not working, or market economy it doesn't work, or globalization, or maybe the whole European Union doesn't work. This is the purpose political activities.

- What external challenges does your country face?

There is nothing that relates exclusively to our country. But the whole security situation in Europe is unpredictable and changeable. There is Russia, which has shown that it is ready to use force. I am now talking about the occupation of the Crimean peninsula. In addition, we know that the Russian Federation does not fulfill its international obligations, which it itself has undertaken.

Let's take, for example, the Budapest Memorandum or the Minsk Agreements. The Minsk agreements are constantly violated, which means that sanctions against Russia must remain in force. All of this indicates that the security situation remains challenging. Also, see what's going on in Syria. Libya is actually a failed state. We see that the world is unstable.

- Madam President, you mentioned Russia as one of the security challenges. In an interviewThe Washington Postyou said that the Russian Federation is not a physical danger, but rather a threat to the entire architecture of international security, which does not pose a threat to any of the NATO countries. Is Russia a physical danger for Estonia or not?

No I do not think so. Russia would not attack a NATO country or NATO as such. It doesn't matter which country we are talking about. NATO's security space is indivisible, so I don't think Russia will attack NATO.

- Nevertheless, on May 8, it was here, in Estonia, that the major military exercises "Spring Storm" began, which will last until May 26. They are attended by 9 thousand people from different partner countries and allied countries. What signal are you sending Roscui?

Our signal is defensive exercises, and NATO is a defensive alliance. The Estonian army is called the Estonian Defense Forces. No one on this side of the border poses a threat to anyone.

- A NATO battalion was deployed in Estonia in April. Why do you need this battalion if Russia does not pose a threat, and you say that you do not believe that the Russian Federation will one day invade Estonia?

In fact, the opposite is true. NATO is reliable if it provides deterrence to any enemy it may face. The Alliance successfully provides adequate deterrence 100 percent of the time, and that is why, I think, no one will attack NATO.

- You said "enemy". That is, Russia is an enemy country?

I'm talking more about a potential threat that can come from all sides. This is a generalizing word. We can also talk about a terrorist threat and so on.

- Let's go back to the NATO battalion, which is now deployed in Estonia. Can we say that this is also an infrastructure project that can serve as a stimulus for the economic development of the region where it is deployed?

We don't think so. To host the NATO battalion, we have allocated 0.2 percent of our GDP. This is our contribution to NATO's security, in addition to the defense spending of 2 percent of GDP that we, in accordance with Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty, allocate to NATO's overall indivisible security, including our own security.

The defense industry can really spur the economic development of our country. We have several IT projects in the military sphere, you can call them startups. We are quite famous for our number of IT startups. We very much hope that one day they will provide strong support for our economic growth.

- You said that Estonia is leading in the field ofIT... Meanwhile, Russia is increasingly mentioned in connection with hacker attacks. How can Estonia cope with possible cyber attacks, or is your country not the target of attacks by Russian hackers?

No one can tell if he is the target or not. In addition, cyberattacks can occur from different directions.

- You touched upon the issue of sanctions against Russia, and I know that you are in favor of keeping them in force. But if you look at the Russian economy, you will see that it has largely adapted to the sanctions regime. Now the sanctions are playing more of a symbolic role. What can be achieved with the help of sanctions at this stage? After all, the Minsk agreements were never fulfilled ...

You yourself answered your own question. The Minsk agreements have not been implemented, so the sanctions regime remains in force.

- Do you think that these sanctions, which have a symbolic meaning, can force Russia to comply with these agreements? You see that Russia is doing nothing now.

The partner countries got together and decided that they would introduce a sanctions regime. They understand why they did it, and they also understand what needs to be done in order for the sanctions to be lifted. This was not done, so the sanctions remain in place.

- But perhaps there are other means to force Russia to comply with the agreements? After all, sanctions do not work.

Partner countries meet periodically and discuss these issues. A possible tightening of sanctions was also discussed. So far, the general position is that we hold our chosen point of view.

- In one interview you said that you need to coordinate and discuss your visit to Russia with your allies, and this will never be your own decision. Why don't you want to go to Russia?

I am not saying that I will never go to Russia. It's just that, given the current relations between the EU and the Russian Federation, we are carefully coordinating our diplomatic steps towards Russia, and this is exactly what I said. There may be a case - for example, the ratification of the border treaty between Estonia and the Russian Federation, who knows.

- As you know, Estonia has a large Russian-speaking community. Some people still have the so-called "non-citizen" status. Do you understand why they feel discriminated against?

I don't think they feel discriminated against, because otherwise they would have solved this problem.

“But they say so themselves.

No, they don't. It's one thing what you say and another thing how you act. We know that a large proportion of people with undetermined citizenship can travel to Europe and Russia without a visa. Their passport gives them the greatest freedom one can have.

“But they have no political rights.

Yes it's true. On the other hand, Estonia has a relatively simple procedure for obtaining citizenship. You learn a language to a certain level, take a test and get citizenship. This is totally normal. And voluntarily not doing this is also absolutely normal. Precisely because we do not discriminate against these people, they do not take any steps to obtain citizenship at all, Estonian or any other.

We are ready to help them learn Estonian, help them gain a foothold in Estonian society. But since there really is no discrimination against these people, they can remain in this uncertain status if this is exactly what they want. It is also important to note that since we gained independence, the number of stateless people has decreased by three times. This is a significant achievement.

- How many Russians are there in the Estonian government?

Several. But I never asked people from our government, whose names sound like Russians, if they are really Russian. I do not know. For example, my children have the surname Maksimovsky, but they are not Russian, they are Estonians. It may also be that the surname is Estonian, and the person is Russian, as, for example, in the case of one minister.

- Can you name this minister? I looked through the list of all the ministers in the government and still did not understand whether they were Russians or Estonians.

- Because all the names are Estonian.

No, Evgeny Osinovsky - definitely Russian name and surname. But I speak to him in pure Estonian. And I don't know what nationality he is. To be honest, I never asked.

- Is it necessary to do more in order to simplify the process of integration of Russians, who still have undefined citizenship?

Context

We offer the opportunity to learn Estonian and through our publicly funded Russian-language broadcast, we also make it clear that the path is open, the invitation has been made. Anyone who wants to can accept this invitation, fulfill the criteria and obtain citizenship.

- Now I have some hypothetical questions. What if Vladimir Putin calls you?

I’ll go to the phone and talk to him, and then I’ll let all my partners and allies know why he called and what we talked about.

- What if Russia joins NATO?

I see no logic in this question.

- What if a Russian by origin becomes the president of Estonia?

Your roots, the language you speak, doesn't matter. There is no problem for Estonia to be headed by an Estonian, Latvian, or Finn. You are an Estonian citizen, you interact with Estonian society on the Estonian platform. That's enough for us.

- Two years ago, in this very room, I interviewed the then President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves. We spoke in English, but he said two words in Russian: the words "disinformation" and "uncivilized". What words do you think best define contemporary Russia?

Russian people are people of great culture, they have a great sense of humor. In Russia, a beautiful scientific sphere... I really appreciate the Russian people. If I think about the Russian state, today it is a threat to the value-oriented system of international security. But in my understanding, these two aspects are completely separate.

Full version of the interview:

Watch video 15:21

President of Estonia in "Nemtsova. Interview": Russia is a threat to the international security system

• "Iron sword" in Lithuania

  In Lithuania, until December 2, NATO forces' Iron Sword military exercises are being held, in which, in addition to Lithuanian servicemen, soldiers from Germany, the USA, Great Britain and Poland are taking part. An additional battalion of NATO forces will be deployed in Lithuania. In the photo: military exercises of NATO soldiers, which took place in the Lithuanian town of Rukla this fall.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

Russia strengthens its position in the Baltic

The grouping of troops in the Kaliningrad Special Region in 2016 was reinforced by a battalion of the Bastion coastal missile system. New missile systems came into service with the Baltic Fleet in 2016, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Photo: summer exercises of the Russian army in the Baltic



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

Build strength on both sides

This infographic shows that there is a military build-up on both sides. Russia on its western borders is forming three new divisions with a total strength of up to 30 thousand servicemen. NATO dispatches four battalions to the Baltic states and Poland, each with 1,000 troops.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

NATO installs missile defense system in Europe

In 2016, the Aegis ground-based anti-missile defense base was launched in Romania. There is a similar station in Poland. Together with a number of other ground targets, as well as a group of destroyers, the Romanian base is an integral part of the program for building a European phased adaptive missile defense (ABM) system. Russia believes that the missile defense system is directed against it.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

Iskander in Kaliningrad

Meanwhile, Russia continues to strengthen the Kaliningrad region. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it was realizing its intention to deploy Iskander-M missile systems in the western exclave. According to the Ministry of Defense, they are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 500 km, Iskander missiles can be equipped with two types of missiles - ballistic and cruise, and theoretically carry a nuclear warhead.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

Latvia will spend on defense

In autumn, military exercises were held in various parts of Latvia, including the joint exercises of NATO troops "Silver Arrow". Photo: Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis (center) and US troops after military exercises in the Latvian town of Adazi. Bergmanis can expect defense spending to rise by almost 100 million euros in 2017.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

New divisions

For a long time after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the size of the Russian army was declining. But the announcement of the creation of new divisions, primarily near the Russian-Ukrainian border, could reverse this trend. Experts do not yet know how the Ministry of Defense is going to staff the new divisions with personnel. It is necessary to find about 30 thousand additional servicemen.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

Major exercises in Poland

A major NATO military exercise called "Baltops" took place in the Baltic region this summer. They were attended by servicemen from 17 countries - over 6,000 soldiers in total. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the bloc plans to transfer several hundred thousand soldiers to an enhanced regime of service in the member countries of the organization.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

From howitzers to heavy bombers

Russia is actively testing and introducing new types of military equipment into service. These are Su-35S fighters, and Tor, Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile systems, Verba MANPADS, Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems and drones. Now the level of rearmament of the army, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, is 50 percent.



How NATO and Russia are building up their military forces

"We are not in a state of cold war with Russia"

In a recent interview with DW, Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO is not in a cold war with Russia, calling for a more moderate definition. The scale of the military build-up by both sides is, indeed, incomparably smaller than when the arms race between the USSR and NATO was in full swing, as this timetable from the GDR times reminds of.

Joonistus: Aivar Juhanson

Eesti Ekspress previously wrote that Kaljulaid's second husband, Georg-Rene Maksimovsky, most likely works or worked in the Estonian Information Department or in a related institution. Kaljulaid herself confirmed that her husband was engaged in secret work. Later, however, her team clarified that her husband worked at the Foundation for State Infocommunications, and therefore had access to state secrets.

Even the head of the Information Department said that a man named Maksimovsky does not work in the department and has never worked. However, it should be borne in mind that employees of the Information Department receive a new secret name when starting work - maybe not everything is so simple?

Husband won sneakers

One can only speculate about the secret activities of Kaljulaid's husband. If the public is not supposed to know anything about it, then only those small details that are known for sure remain. For example, in 2002, Georg-Rene Maksimovsky won the ASICS running shoe in a running competition.

Feud with Cross

When Kersti Kaljulaid sought support in, many claimed to be actively working against her, although he himself denies this. Rumor has it that something happened between Kross and Kaljulaid when she served as adviser to the prime minister from 1999-2002.

In 2001, Laar fired Cross from his post as intelligence coordinator. The official reason is personal use of a work credit card. The media cited a possible connection between Cross and suspicious privatizations of the railways and his other moves as the reason. One source told Eesti Ekspress that it was Kaljulaid who gave Laar advice: we need to get rid of speculators. Hence, Kaljulaid's enmity with Cross.

Kaljulaid was invited to lead the IRL

In 2011-2012, Mart Laar was preparing to step down as chairman. Laar's friends advised him to invite Kaljulaid to become the new leader of the party. Laar was well aware that the members had captured the party, and in Kaljulaid he saw a chance to return the reins of government to Isamaaliytu. In 2012, due to Laar's stroke, these plans had to be postponed.

Last year, other parties also wanted to recruit Kaljulaid into their ranks. The deadline for her work in the European Control Chamber was approaching, and some parties contacted her and asked what her plans were for the future and she would not like to get involved in politics.

Pretend until it's true

The nomination of Kersti Kaljulaid for the presidency, as well as her appointment to the post, took place quite quickly and spontaneously. The reformist faction asked her if she was ready to become president?

For example, Kaljulaid successfully predicted that: Estonia will make great strides in IT; the movement for "green energy" will begin, and renewable energy will account for 30% -40% of total production; transit from will start to disappear; will become stronger and stronger cooperation than when Estonia joined the alliance.

There were also predictions that did not come true: teachers will earn as much as their Western colleagues; the population of Estonia will exceed 2 million; women on average will give birth to 2.2 children; there will be trains running four times a day.

And one interesting coincidence: Kaljulaid's essay came out second in a series of opinions, and it was preceded by an essay whose author was….

Eesti Vabariigi President) is the head of the Estonian state.

Since Estonia is a parliamentary republic, the powers of the president are largely limited, he is not part of the executive branch and is mainly a symbolic figure. The President cannot be a member of any political party and cannot hold any other elected or appointed office. These restrictions are aimed at ensuring the independence and political impartiality of the president in the performance of his office.

The election of the president takes place by voting in parliament or in a special electoral college (in the event that parliament is unable to elect a head of state). The President is elected for a term of five years; the same person cannot be elected President for more than two consecutive terms. The current President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, was elected by the electoral college on September 23, 2006, having already received the support of 174 electors in the first round of voting (against 173 necessary for victory). Its only competitor, then President Arnold Rüütel, received the support of 162 board members.

History of the institution of the presidency

The institution of the president was absent in Estonia as such from 1918 to 1938. The first Estonian constitution was deliberately drafted in such a way as to prevent by any means the concentration of too much power in one hand. This ultimately led to the creation of an ultra-parliamentary system in which the powers of parliament were practically unlimited, and the government was completely subordinate to the will of the deputies. The functions normally vested in the president in parliamentary republics were divided between the speaker of parliament, the government, and the so-called state elder, who actually served as prime minister and nominal head of state. However, the latter could not perform the role of an arbiter in the event of a conflict between parliament and the government, since he was completely dependent on the deputies and could be dismissed by them at any time.

The post of president was first introduced in 1938 after the adoption of a new constitution. Under the new basic law, the president had very broad powers and actually headed the executive branch of government. Konstantin Päts became the first President of the Republic of Estonia. The term of office of the president was supposed to last six years, but Konstantin Päts was forced to leave office in 1940 due to the annexation of Estonia to the USSR. He was subsequently arrested by the NKVD and deported to Russia. Konstantin Päts died in 1956 in a psychiatric hospital in Kalinin.

After the proclamation of Soviet power, a new constitution was adopted on the model of the USSR constitution, in which the post of president was not provided. In the Soviet period, the chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR was considered the formal head of state in the Estonian SSR, whose powers were minimal.

During the Soviet period, the so-called "government of the Republic of Estonia in exile" also operated outside the USSR, the head of which was officially called "the prime minister, interim President of the Republic." However, the legitimacy of the "government in exile" can be questioned, since it was not recognized by any state in the world and consisted of members of the government of Jüri Uluots, which in reality was already dismissed in 1940 by the decree of President Konstantin Päts. Instead of the government of Jüri Uluots, President Päts managed to appoint a new government headed by Johannes Vares Barbarus. Thus, members of this "government in exile" after 1940 could not formally be considered ministers.

However, the interpretation officially adopted in modern Estonia is that the decrees of President Päts on the resignation of the Uluots government and the appointment of the Barbarus government were invalid due to the inability of President Päts to make independent decisions at that time. It should be noted that the assertion of the legitimacy of the so-called "government in exile" is one of the cornerstones of the theory of succession of the Republic of Estonia, as well as one of the justifications for the current policy in the field of citizenship and language.

The post of President of the Republic was restored in 1992 after the adoption of a new constitution. Since then, presidential elections have been held 4 times (in 1992, 1996, 2001 and 2006).

Credentials

Procedure for Election and Termination of Powers

Only Estonian citizens by birth who have reached the age of forty are eligible to run for the presidency. A presidential candidate is nominated by deputies of the Riigikogu (at least 1/5 of their number). The president is elected for a 5-year term. No one can be elected president for more than two consecutive terms.

The election of the President of Estonia is indirect: he is elected to the Riigikogu or the Electoral College if the Riigikogu fails to fulfill this task. In the first round, the members of the Riigikogu vote by secret ballot for the nominated candidates. If it is not possible to elect the president in the first round (a candidate for whom at least 2/3 of the parliament has been voted for is considered elected), then the next day a second round is held, with the candidates re-nominated. If the president is not elected in the second round, then the third round is held on the same day, in which the two candidates who received the largest number of votes in the second round participate. If the President is not elected in the third round, the President of the Riigikogu shall convene an Electoral College consisting of members of the Riigikogu and representatives of local government councils. The electoral college is represented by two candidates who participated in the third round. In addition, at least twenty-one members of the electoral college also have the right to nominate a candidate for the presidency. The Electoral College elects the President of the Republic by a majority of votes of the members of the Electoral College who participated in the voting. If in the first round none of the candidates is elected, then on the same day, a second round of voting is held between the two candidates who received the largest number of votes. If after the second round of voting in the Electoral College it is not possible to elect a president, the right to elect a president again passes to the Riigikogu and the procedure is repeated again in the above sequence.

The inauguration of the newly elected President takes place by taking the following oath before the Riigikogu:

"In assuming the office of President of the Republic, I (name and surname) solemnly swear that I will unswervingly defend the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Estonia, use the authority given to me fairly and impartially, faithfully fulfill my duties, exerting all my strength and abilities for the good of the people of Estonia. and the Republic of Estonia "

From the moment of taking office, all powers and duties of the President in any other elected or appointed office automatically terminate. The President of the Republic has no right to engage in any other paid activity. The official remuneration of the President of the Republic is established by the Riigikogu by a special law. During his tenure, the President is obliged to suspend membership in any party.

The powers of the president are terminated due to:

• voluntary resignation;
• the inauguration of the newly elected president;
• death;
• the entry into force of the court's conviction against him;
• persistent inability to fulfill the duties of the president for health reasons, established by the Supreme Court.

If the president is unable to fulfill his duties, the powers of the president are transferred to the chairman of the National Assembly.

The Republic of Estonia gained its state independence after the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1918, and developed as a democratic country with a parliamentary form of government traditional for the Estonian people.

The only period during this time that did not meet the requirements of democracy was the dictatorship of President Konstantin Päts (1934 - 1939), as a result of which the actions of parliament were virtually paralyzed, and power was concentrated in the hands of a few people.

Estonia lost its independence in 1940, becoming part of the USSR. In 1992, the country regained its independence. According to the then adopted constitution, all legislative power belongs to the parliament, which is called the Riigikogu.

He is elected by all Estonian citizens who are 18 years of age. The term of office of parliament lasts four years. He has the right:

• elect a president;
• pass laws;
• sign agreements with other countries;
• adopts the country's budget.

There are 101 members of the Riigikogu in total. According to his powers, Estonia can be characterized as a typical parliamentary republic.

Office of the President

Parliament elects a president for a term of five years. The candidate must be a person who has reached the age of 40, who was born in Estonia. You cannot be elected president for more than two consecutive terms.

The president is elected by the parliament, 2/3 of the deputies must vote for him. Voting for a candidate is carried out within three rounds, if after that elections do not take place, then the election rights are transferred to the electors.

They, together with the deputies, elect the president by a majority vote. The powers of the president in a parliamentary republic are quite seriously limited, but at the same time he can:

• propose constitutional amendments;
• nominate a candidate for the post of Prime Minister;
• proposes to parliament candidates for positions: chairmen of the state court, bank, controller.

The President issues awards, confers titles, leads the national defense, and represents the country in relations with other states. The powers of the head of state are limited by laws. However, the president on the internal and foreign policy the country has a lot of influence.

President of Estonia 2019

Former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves held office for two terms, starting in 2006. In October 2016, he was not replaced by Kersti Kaljulaid.

Former President of Estonia - Toomas Hendrik Ilves (from 2006 to 2016)

The election of a new president was like a protracted psychological thriller, in the course of which parliament was unable to elect any of the proposed candidates and the electoral college passed the right to elect, but they could not elect a president either.

In this case, the election authority again passed to the Riigikogu, i.e. now parliament again had to elect the head of state, and this time there could be no deviations.

At that moment, at one of the sessions of the National Assembly (this is how the Riigikogu can be translated into Russian), the candidacy of Kersti Kaljulaid was nominated. 90 deputies of parliament voted for her, and this is the overwhelming majority. Thus, the next President of the Republic of Estonia was elected.

Personality of the current President of Estonia

Kersti Kaljulaid is from Tartu. She was born in 1969 on December 30th. She graduated from an ordinary Soviet school in Tallinn in 1987. After graduation, she entered the University of Tartu, which she graduated in 1992 with a degree in genetics. However, in her chosen profession, she never managed to work.

In the period after graduation, she was a manager of telephone exchanges, then worked in the banking sector. In 1999, Kersti was an advisor to the Prime Minister of Estonia Marta Laar.

In 2002, her career changed dramatically - the future president became the director of the Iru power plant, in this position she stayed until 2004, when she began working in the structures of the European Union. Kaljulaid held various positions of responsibility in the European Chamber of Control before becoming President of Estonia.