The former commander of the Estonian Defence League, retired major general Riho Ühtegi, has withdrawn from the race to become the country’s next president, ERR reports. He told Postimees that the reason for the decision was a serious health condition. Ühtegi’s candidacy was proposed by a group of prominent public figures in early July 2026. He said that the current field of possible presidential candidates was “out of touch,” asserting that “ordinary people” had become disillusioned with the state and were unsure whether Estonia would even exist as a nation and a state in 30-50 years’ time, ERR reported.
Meanwhile, political scientist Tõnis Leht of the Liberal Citizen Foundation (SALK), said that Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice, Ülle Madise, would be a “very strong favourite” if she decided to run for president, ERR reported. Speaking in an interview with Vikerraadio, Leht noted that the Estonian Reform Party, Estonia 200, and the Social Democratic Party had all expressed support for Madise, while the opposition Fatherland and Estonian Centre Party had not ruled out backing her candidacy, either. However, should she decide against running, the election would more likely move to the electoral college, Leht suggested.
In the meantime, Tõnis Saarts, associate professor of comparative politics at Tallinn University, noted that parties were leaving the selection of presidential candidates “unusually late,” ERR reported. He suggested that parties wanted to avoid putting forward party political candidates ahead of the parliamentary elections in March 2027. Instead, they were looking for a compromise candidate, he said. SALK’s Leht also noted that parties preferred a presidential candidate who had no recent party political background and who had “credibility, authority, and understanding of how the Estonian state functions.”