Meri wins Estonia’s first post-restoration presidency in 1992

Former campaign adviser Tiit Pruuli says Lennart Meri’s extensive grassroots campaign helped him defeat Arnold Rüütel in Estonia’s first presidential election after the restoration of independence, ERR reports.

The 1992 election differed from all subsequent presidential elections because it began with a popular vote. Meri and Rüütel were nominated on July 15, followed by Jaks Lankots and Uno Ruus on July 21, Lagle Parek on July 24, Miina Hint on July 27 and Rein Taagepera on August 3.

Hint withdrew on August 6 and Lankots on August 11. Ruus failed to collect the required 10,000 supporting signatures. On August 20, Meri, Rüütel, Parek and Taagepera were registered as candidates after collecting 11,491, 21,009, 10,839 and 14,887 signatures respectively.

Rüütel received the largest share of the popular vote, with 41.8 percent. Meri won 29.5 percent, narrowly ahead of Taagepera, who received 23.4 percent.

The four candidates debated on Estonia’s ETV channel on September 16. Four days later, voters went to the polls, but none of the candidates secured more than half of the votes cast.

Under the presidential election law, the decision therefore went to the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament. The ballot listed the two leading candidates, Rüütel and Meri.

Isamaa had come to power in the parliamentary election held in September 1992, and Meri had been its presidential candidate. In the parliamentary vote, Meri received 59 votes to Rüütel’s 31. Eleven ballots were invalid. Meri was elected on October 5, 1992, as the first president of restored Estonia.

Pruuli, who was part of Meri’s campaign team, said Rüütel benefited from a familiar and accessible public image and his status as a symbol of the restoration of independence. Meri, by contrast, was seen by some as arrogant and deeply intellectual, which created a sense of distance.

To reach voters more directly, Meri travelled around Estonia and met people in a campaign car. Pruuli said Meri covered hundreds of thousands of kilometres and carried out an extensive campaign.

“Lennart stepped out of the slippers of an intellectual,” Pruuli said, adding that Meri repeated the approach in later campaigns.

Pruuli said Meri’s team understood from the beginning that defeating Rüütel in the first round would not be possible. Its strategy was to prevent Rüütel from securing an overwhelming majority so that the decision would proceed to parliament.

Recalling the rivalry, Pruuli said he did not remember Rüütel presenting his views as clearly during the campaign. “His trump cards were great familiarity and silver curls, and that certainly helped him. He did not have to deal as much with his views,” Pruuli said.