Kask says Chancellor of Justice must remain non-political

Supreme Court judge Oliver Kask, nominated by President Ülle Madise to become Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice, says the office must remain non-political and that he would focus particularly on social rights. ERR reported.

Kask said he took time to consider the nomination before agreeing. He said he would focus on social rights, especially where people may be unable to defend their rights or take their cases to court. He also highlighted the need to protect democracy and the rule of law and maintain Estonia’s current standards.

Kask has worked at the Ministry of Justice, served as a judge at Tallinn Circuit Court and chaired the National Electoral Committee. He is currently a Supreme Court judge. The parliament appoints the Chancellor of Justice for a seven-year term.

“It is important to me that the institution of the Chancellor of Justice is not political,” Kask said. “Political questions must be left for the parliament and the government to decide.”

Representatives of parliamentary factions have outlined issues they want to raise with Kask before deciding on his nomination. Isamaa MP Lea Danilson-Järg said her party wanted to ask how the state meets its obligations to citizens. She cited 2,000 people on waiting lists for special care and said the state had not fulfilled its responsibilities. She also named the status of Estonian as the state language and its place in society as priorities for Isamaa.

Social Democrats want the Chancellor of Justice to continue working on personal data protection. Party leader Lauri Läänemets said growing amounts of data must be protected without obstructing the work of law enforcement agencies, and called for a measured approach.

EKRE MP Anti Poolamets said Kask would need to demonstrate the office’s independence and show a serious commitment to fundamental rights. He said EKRE also wanted the Chancellor of Justice to defend the observability of electronic voting and the possibility of filing election complaints.

Madis Timpson, head of the parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee and a Reform Party member, said the office should focus on the quality of legislation. Estonia needs fewer laws and better-drafted legal provisions, he said, as well as a state where people are not subject to unjustified restrictions.

Parliamentary factions are scheduled to meet Kask the week after next.