Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice, Ülle Madise, is currently the strongest candidate to become the country’s next president, according to experts, ERR reports. Another possible candidate often mentioned is longtime diplomat Jonatan Vseviov, current secretary general of the Estonian Foreign Ministry. Political scientist Tõnis Leht of the Liberal Citizen Foundation (SALK) suggested that both Madise and Vseviov seemed interested in running. Earlier, the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDE) proposed Madise’s candidacy, and the two coalition parties, the Estonian Reform Party and Estonia 200 (E200), both said that they would support Madise if she accepted the nomination.
Before incumbent President Alar Karis announced that he would not run for a second term in office, Reform leader, Prime Minister Kristen Michal, suggested that former president Kersti Kaljulaid could stand again. Reform has considered also the possible presidential candidacy of Maive Rute, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s directorate general for internal market, industry, and entrepreneurship (DG GROW). E200 chairwoman, Education Minister Kristina Kallas, also mentioned Rute and Vseviov, as well as Hannes Hanso, Estonia’s newly appointed ambassador to the US, and Indrek Laul, CEO of Estonia Piano Factory, as possible candidates, ERR reported.
Meanwhile, communications expert Annika Arras noted that the number of potential presidential candidates was still too small. So far, Mart Helme, founder of the opposition Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE), and Riho Ühtegi, former commander of the Estonian Defence League (Kaitseliit), are the only people who have agreed to run for president. According to Tarmo Jüristo, head of SALK, political parties and candidates expect the president to be elected in the parliament, the Riigikogu. However, SALK’s Leht said that if the opposition Fatherland and Estonian Centre Party decide to support Ühtegi, the election may move to the electoral college, where his chances are better.