President to nominate new Chancellor of Justice in coming weeks

Estonia’s president will propose a candidate for the next Chancellor of Justice to parliament in the coming weeks, ERR reports, but it is not yet clear whether outgoing President Alar Karis or incoming President Ülle Madise will make the nomination.

The president’s office said the need to find a new Chancellor of Justice arose unexpectedly. The president wants enough time to select and meet candidates and assess their suitability for the position, spokesperson Epp-Mare Kukemelk told ERR.

Karis has recently attended the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and is making farewell visits this week with his wife, Sirje Karis. They are due to meet the leaders of Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Finland, as well as Sweden’s royal couple. He is expected to return to Estonia in the second half of the week. Karis is due to hand over the presidency to Madise on October 12.

Madis Timpson, chair of parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, said parliament would decide whether to support and appoint a candidate after the president submits a nomination. Timpson said he would consult all parliamentary groups before a formal nomination. The committee has not discussed specific candidates or spoken with the president about the matter, he said.

Timpson said the next Chancellor of Justice should be a highly qualified lawyer with strong legal training, professional authority and independence, and should have no party-political background.

Ando Kiviberg, chair of parliament’s Constitutional Committee, said he had spoken with Madise to understand how she viewed the next steps. He said nominating a candidate to parliament was the president’s constitutional responsibility.

Parliament appoints the Chancellor of Justice for a seven-year term on the president’s proposal.