Madise secures 62 signatures for presidential nomination

By Thursday noon, 62 members of Estonia’s parliament had signed in support of nominating Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as a presidential candidate, ERR reported. The signatories belong to the Reform Party, Estonia 200 and the Social Democratic Party.

Three MPs from those parties had not yet signed. The two named by ERR were Reform Party MP Mart Võrklaev and Züleyxa Izmailova.

Võrklaev said he was still considering whether to sign Madise’s nomination. “We plan to meet Ülle, and then we will also hear her thoughts,” he told ERR. Asked why he had not signed immediately, he said he preferred to keep the reasons to himself. The Reform Party is due to meet Madise on Tuesday.

Võrklaev also described Tiit Land as a worthy potential candidate. Land, the rector of Tallinn University of Technology, has been discussed as Madise’s most likely rival.

None of the unaffiliated MPs, sometimes referred to as independent or “window-seat” MPs, had signed Madise’s nomination either. Some have said they will not vote, while others plan to decide after meeting Land and Madise.

Two MPs who recently belonged to the coalition, Kalev Stoicescu and Meelis Kiili, have said they might instead sign Land’s nomination to ensure there are two candidates and allow for a choice and debate. Stoicescu added that this would not necessarily mean withdrawing his support for Madise.

On July 23, Stoicescu wrote on social media that he was waiting for Madise to agree to run and for support signatures to be collected. “My pen is ready,” he wrote at the time.

A presidential candidate must be nominated by at least one-fifth of the parliament, requiring a minimum of 21 signatures.

The Isamaa and Centre parties are considering whether to support Land after meeting Madise. They have eight and seven faction members respectively, or 15 in total. Including politicians affiliated with the parties but outside their parliamentary factions, they would have four additional votes, bringing the total to 19. They would therefore need at least two more signatures from unaffiliated MPs to nominate Land. If Stoicescu and Kiili do so, the required 21 signatures would be reached.

At least 68 votes in parliament are required to elect Estonia’s president.