Stoicescu pledges vote for Madise after backing Land

Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported that Kalev Stoicescu, an MP who recently joined the Parempoolsed political party, will vote for Ülle Madise in Estonia’s presidential election in parliament, where she is the only candidate.

Earlier this week, Stoicescu signed a nomination statement supporting Tiit Land, together with Meelis Kiili and Leo Kunnas. Land failed to collect the 21 signatures required to stand as a candidate.

“I probably would have supported Ülle Madise anyway. But since there is no other candidate now, of course I support Ülle Madise’s candidacy. That is already 100 percent,” Stoicescu told ERR on Friday.

Stoicescu said he signed in support of Land for two reasons. He said he had known Land for a very long time and held him in high regard, adding that he considered Land and Madise equally qualified candidates.

“That is why I signed in support, and also because in my view, an election with two candidates is an election. That does not, of course, mean that with one candidate everything would not be legal and so on. Naturally, it is, but the word ‘election’ still presupposes that there is a choice,” Stoicescu said.

Parempoolsed leader Lavly Perling said on Wednesday that the party supports Madise and urged members of the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, to elect her.

Stoicescu announced on Wednesday that he had decided to join Parempoolsed. On August 9, he said he was leaving the Eesti 200 party.