Altogether 67 members of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, support the possible presidential candidacy of the country’s Chancellor of Justice, Ülle Madise, according to Kristina Kallas, chairwoman of the liberal coalition party, Estonia 200, ERR reports. She said that support from the opposition Fatherland or Estonian Centre Party was still missing, however. Kallas urged the two opposition parties to announce their decision on Madise’s candidacy, implying that the reason for their delay was “partisan interests ahead of the parliamentary elections.” A presidential candidate needs a minimum of 68 votes to be elected in the parliament.
Meanwhile, Fatherland leader Urmas Reinsalu refused to name his party’s preferred presidential candidate, noting that there were “weighty and serious people” among those who had expressed an interest in running, ERR reported. In particular, Reinsalu characterised Madise as a “calm person with a clear vision” who was “very sympathetic” both as a person and a professional. He was commenting an earlier statement by Riho Ühtegi, former commander of the Estonian Defence League, who asserted that all remaining potential candidates were “out of touch” with ordinary people. Ühtegi made the statement after withdrawing from the race.