Kuusk refuses to resign as Estonia’s defence ministry chancellor

Estonian Defence Ministry Chancellor Kaimo Kuusk will not submit his own resignation, saying the government must decide whether to dismiss him, ERR reported. He said his departure from the post was nevertheless certain.

“I will not submit an application myself. But knowing this, it would be more reasonable for the government to dismiss me and allow the new minister to find a chancellor suitable for them,” Kuusk wrote in a letter to ministry employees.

Kuusk said he had spoken with State Secretary Taimar Peterkop and with Martin Herem, who has been proposed as the next defence minister. “We spoke about national defence and building it. The goal is the same, but the ways of reaching it differ,” he wrote.

ERR reported on Tuesday that Herem had made Kuusk’s departure one of the conditions for becoming minister, so that the new minister would have greater freedom in personnel decisions. Herem is reportedly seeking to bring Veiko-Vello Palm to the Defence Ministry. The two currently work together at defence-industry company Frankenburg Technologies.

However, Kuusk cannot simply be forced to leave. A ministry chancellor may be dismissed if the minister considers that cooperation between the minister and the chancellor is not working. The Public Service Act also prohibits dismissing a chancellor during the first six months after the minister and chancellor begin working together.

If Herem became defence minister, he could therefore dismiss Kuusk only after six months. Parliamentary elections would take place after that period, making such a dismissal ineffective, according to ERR.

ERR was also told that if Kuusk does not leave voluntarily, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur does not want to dismiss him himself, despite pressure from the party chairman. Another option under discussion is to establish a commission at the Government Office to assess problems in the defence sector and the chancellor’s role in them. The reported outcome would be that Kuusk was held responsible and the government dismissed him.

Kuusk said his two years as chancellor had been exciting, intense and meaningful. He thanked the Defence Ministry team and named Pevkur in particular, saying that much had been achieved but much remained to be done.