The council of elders of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, will meet in early August 2026 to discuss the election of the country’s next president, ERR reports. Parliamentary speaker Lauri Hussar said that the council would meet within the next two weeks. He hoped that all parliamentary parties would come to the meeting with a clear position on their potential candidate for president. The council of elders consists of the speaker, two deputy speakers, and the heads of all six parliamentary groups. Hussar is optimistic that the parliament will be able to elect the president on 2-3 September 2026.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal, chairman of the ruling Estonian Reform Party, urged other parties to make their positions on the presidential race clear, ERR reported. He called on other parties to join Reform in supporting the candidacy of Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise. Michal suggested that Madise could gain support from both liberal and conservative MPs. Reform’s coalition partner, Estonia 200 (E200), and the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDE) have backed Madise as well. Together with a few votes from independent MPs, Reform, E200, and SDE could elect Madise in parliament on their own.