Keskerakond to meet Tiit Land over presidential bid

Estonia’s Centre Party will meet Tallinn University of Technology rector Tiit Land on Wednesday as it continues consultations on the presidential election, ERR reported.

The party’s leadership met with members of its parliamentary group on Tuesday to discuss its next steps, Centre Party parliamentary group leader Lauri Laats said.

“We discussed and assessed the situation we are in and the possible ways forward,” Laats said.

The party plans to continue meeting potential presidential candidates. Its meeting with Land is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Land was put forward as a potential presidential candidate on Tuesday morning.

The Centre Party also plans to meet with Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise in the near future. If more candidates emerge, the party will meet them as well, Laats said.

Laats said it was strange that the Social Democrats, Eesti 200 and the Reform Party had begun collecting signatures to nominate Madise without parliamentary groups having had an opportunity to meet her as a potential presidential candidate.

“We have been able to meet Madise as the Chancellor of Justice, but not Madise as a possible presidential candidate,” Laats said. “We do not know what her vision is for the institution of the president or how she sees herself as president.”

Laats said he had not heard Madise say that she personally wanted to run for president. According to Laats, Madise has said that if there is cross-party support for her in parliament, she would, as a responsible citizen, accept the task.

Laats said it was now important to establish whether Madise herself wanted to become president or was merely willing to take on the role.

Once the Centre Party selects its presidential candidate, it will convene its council. The party plans to announce its candidate within the next week.

Laats also said that every member of parliament, including members of the Centre Party’s parliamentary group, was free to vote according to their conscience.