The leader of the Estonian Reform Party, Prime Minister Kristen Michal, expects Tiit Land, rector of Tallinn University of Technology, to be nominated officially as a candidate for president, ERR reports. He said that Land’s nomination should make the election process in the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, “interesting.” However, Michal said that he supported the presidential candidacy of Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise, who is now backed by 62 MPs, ERR reports.
Education Minister Kristina Kallas, leader of Reform’s coalition partner, Estonia 200, urged other parties to join in backing Madise. She argued that there was no need for “nationwide campaigns or debates” between candidates, given that the president was elected by the parliament and not the public. She said that under the Constitution, the process was less of an election and more of “an agreement” between parties on who will represent Estonia as head of state.
The opposition Fatherland and Estonian Centre Party may decide to support Land’s candidacy, but the two parties do not have enough MPs to nominate him alone, ERR reports. Currently, the parliament has 20 independent MPs, some of whom may back Land, while others have stated that they do not intend to vote for any candidate, ERR reported. Independent MPs met with Land on 14 August 2026 and will meet with Madise on 17 August 2026, ERR reported.
Earlier, communications expert Annika Arras said that the presidential election was likely to move from the parliament to the electoral college, ERR reported. She suggested that parties might not manage to collect enough signatures to elect Madise in the parliament outright, as Madise was perceived as the candidate of the ruling coalition. Land’s candidacy would benefit the opposition heading into the parliamentary elections in spring 2027, Arras stated.