Maris Lauri says politics left her emotionally exhausted

Reform Party MP Maris Lauri is leaving politics to become economic adviser to President Ülle Madise, saying the work has been emotionally tiring in recent years. She made the remarks in an interview with ERR.

Lauri, who has also served as justice minister and finance minister, said the president’s offer was appealing and would allow her to return to work in her professional field. She has spent 12 years in politics and said she would remain close to Estonian affairs in the new role.

She said her decision was not based on doubts about her chances in the next parliamentary election. Lauri said the Reform Party still had an opportunity to do well, pointing to its strong team and ideas. She also said Estonia needed a right-liberal party in politics.

Asked about criticism of the party’s handling of crises, including decisions on taxes, Lauri said the challenges had been broader than taxation and had affected societies beyond Estonia. In difficult circumstances, she said, governments had not always made the best decisions or explained them clearly enough.

Coalition partners had sometimes had conflicting priorities, she added, and compromises could reflect their positions more than those of the Reform Party. She said she had not heard direct accusations against individual parties, noting that disagreement between parties with different views was a normal part of politics.