Karis or new president could nominate Estonia’s next legal chancellor

Estonia’s next legal chancellor could be nominated to Parliament by either outgoing President Alar Karis or the president elected to replace him, ERR reports, after current Legal Chancellor Ülle Madise emerged as a leading candidate in the presidential election.

Madise would remain legal chancellor until she took the presidential oath on October 11 if she were elected. Her powers as legal chancellor would end when she assumed the presidency.

Under the Legal Chancellor Act, Parliament appoints the legal chancellor on the president’s proposal. The term lasts seven years. Candidates must have an academic degree in law and be experienced and recognised lawyers. They must also pass a security check unless they already hold a valid permit for access to state secrets classified as top secret.

Madis Timpson, chairman of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, said Estonia had several people with strong legal backgrounds who could take the post.

“We have several top lawyers in Estonia who would be suitable as legal chancellor,” Timpson told ERR, declining to name specific candidates.

Timpson said Karis could legally nominate the next legal chancellor, but that this would not be good practice. In his view, the nomination should be made by Madise if she became president.

He said the appointment would require consultations with parliamentary parties and a majority of votes in favour.

Olari Koppel, director of the Office of the Legal Chancellor, said the issue would be a matter of agreement and coordination between the incoming and departing presidents.

“Personally, I think this person will be determined through close cooperation and consultation between the next president and the departing president,” Koppel said.

If Madise became president, her duties as legal chancellor would temporarily be carried out by the deputy legal chancellor. The deputy, appointed by Parliament, also acts for the legal chancellor during periods such as leave or illness, or when the officeholder is otherwise unable to perform the duties. Koppel would continue in that role.

Koppel recalled that during Lennart Meri’s presidency, Parliament once went six or seven months without appointing a new legal chancellor. During that period, the deputy performs the legal chancellor’s duties, he said.

Koppel stressed that the discussion remained speculative and could begin only after the presidential election.