Hanno Pevkur will leave politics and skip 2027 election
Wednesday 4th November 2026 on 14:15 in
Estonia
Hanno Pevkur will not stand in Estonia’s next parliamentary election and plans to leave politics, ERR reported. The former defence minister said he is looking for opportunities in the private sector and is open to offers outside Estonia.
Pevkur said he had spent 25 years in politics, including 20 years with a parliamentary mandate and nearly 12 years in government. After considering his future, he decided not to run in the next election, scheduled for March 2027, but will continue serving in parliament until then.
He ruled out running for parliament under another party, saying he would not switch parties. He cited several reasons for leaving, including the Reform Party’s internal climate and political culture more broadly, as well as his health and personal ambitions.
Pevkur said he believed he could have won re-election, but his decision was about whether he wanted to continue in politics. He said he was seeking work in the private sector and was not targeting a specific Estonian defence industry company, adding that there should be a period between leaving the Defence Ministry and taking a job in the sector.
He resigned as defence minister on September 2, taking political responsibility for shortcomings and unclear transactions in the ministry’s area of responsibility, particularly at the Centre for Defence Investment. He had also cited problems in the armed forces and with arms procurement.
The 49-year-old has served in seven governments and as a minister in five fields. His ministerial roles included social affairs, justice, the interior and defence. He has been a member of five terms of the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, and chaired the Reform Party from January 2017 to April 2018. He joined the party on June 15, 2000.
In the most recent parliamentary election, Pevkur was the Reform Party’s lead candidate in Lääne-Viru County and received 6,567 votes. By share of the vote in his electoral district, he ranked second nationally, behind Kaja Kallas and ahead of Mihhail Kõlvart.
ERR reported on October 29 that Pevkur’s future in politics and his plans to run again were uncertain. At the time, he declined to discuss the matter and said he would provide an update a week later. Reform Party Secretary General had indicated that discussions concerned which electoral district Pevkur could run in.
Other Reform Party politicians who have said they will not run in the next election include Liina Kersna, Maris Lauri, Andres Sutt and Kristina Šmigun-Vähi.