Postimees Digest, Monday, May 27
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Reform Party reelects Ansip as chairman.
The ruling Reform Party has reelected Prime Minister Andrus Ansip for what he says will be his last term as the party's chairman. The second most popular candidate was Kaja Kallas, recently seen as the party's number one in-house dissident, who merited 909 votes. New management members also included MEP Kristiina Ojuland (779 votes) and head of the Office of the Prime Minister Kairi Uustulnd (496 votes). Kaja Kallas says in a related interview that the party's priorities should include faster economic growth and tackling demographic problems, including employment, care for the elderly and birthrate.
Kallas, who has been pursuing the idea of a parliamentary ethics code, also says that she cannot perceive support for the initiative in the management the composition of which changed relatively little. Rumors suggest the party plans to set up the candidacy of its ministers in Tallinn's boroughs at the upcoming local elections in order to attract more votes.
Lennart Meri Conference analysed European divisions
The past weekend’s Lennart Meri Conference, held for the sixth time in Tallinn, discussed international politics in the context of the North-South split, asking if this indeed was the nature of the new world order.
Matthew Bryza, director of the host organisation International Centre for Defence Studies (ICDS), underlined President Toomas Hendrik Ilves’ Twitter dispute with the Nobel economic prize winner Paul Krugman, as the inspiration for the conference theme.
“We want to see if there is a North-South split in Europe and whether this is also reflected on a wider scale outside of Europe,” Mr Bryza said. “It is evident to many that here in Northern Europe, structural reforms and financial discipline have brought much gain and supported economic growth. Many governments pursuing this policy have been re-elected.”