Centre Party will skip vote as Madise seeks Estonia presidency

The Centre Party does not plan to participate in the parliamentary vote to elect Estonia’s president, while Ülle Madise remains the only candidate and her supporters say she has enough backing to win, ERR reported.

Seventy five members of the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, from the Reform Party, Estonia 200, the Social Democrats and Isamaa, as well as independent lawmakers, signed in support of Madise’s candidacy.

The State Electoral Committee will meet on Tuesday to register the presidential candidates, deputy chair Airi Mikli said. The deadline for submitting a candidate was 6 p.m. Monday, and each candidate needed the signatures of at least 21 lawmakers.

A presidential candidate must receive the support of at least 68 members of the Riigikogu. Reform Party parliamentary group leader Õnne Pillak said Madise had secured the necessary votes.

“I believe that those who have already supported the candidate with their signatures will also come and give her their vote,” Pillak said. She added that there was an expectation that the Riigikogu would elect a new president for Estonia on Sept. 2.

Social Democratic Party leader Lauri Läänemets said Isamaa’s support for Madise had surprised him. He claimed that Isamaa lawmakers had been seeking signatures for Tiit Land the previous evening, before the party decided to support Madise, and said the party had been forced to change course because of its polling position.

Two Isamaa lawmakers, deputy group leader Priit Sibul and group leader Helir-Valdor Seeder, did not sign Madise’s nomination. Isamaa lawmaker Lea Danilson-Järg said the party had nevertheless reached a consensus to support Madise and denied that political manoeuvring was involved.

The opposition parties Centre and EKRE did not support Madise’s candidacy. EKRE leader Martin Helme said his party would continue Mart Helme’s campaign and was prepared to nominate him in the Electoral College if the Riigikogu failed to elect a president.

Centre Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart had previously supported Tiit Land, rector of Tallinn University of Technology. “The Centre Party’s position has not changed. In our view, there must be an election, not an appointment. Since there will be no election in the Riigikogu, we do not wish to participate in an appointment,” Kõlvart said.