Finmin to nominate Juhan Parts candidate for ECA

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

Finance Minister Sven Sester is about to make a proposal to the government to nominate Juhan Parts as candidate for the Estonian representative in the European Court of Auditors (ECA) despite opposition to the candidacy of Parts expressed by the coalition partner Social Democratic Party (SDE).

Sester is set to move the nomination of fellow Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) member Parts to the government despite opposition by SDE leader Jevgeni Ossinovski and his declaration that SDE will definitely not support the Parts candidacy.

The third party in the ruling coalition, Reform, has expressed its support for Parts.

A row erupted between IRL and SDE on Thursday following allegations by IRL that SDE had demanded support from IRL members of parliament for the implementing provisions of the Registered Partnership Act in return for approving the Parts candidacy.

The chairman of the Reform Party and the prime minister, Taavi Roivas, is scheduled to return from a visit to China late in the afternoon and has pledged to start dealing with the differences between junior government partners immediately.

The term of office of the incumbent EU auditor from Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, ends next spring, but her successor has to be selected already this month. The IRL candidate for the post is former prime minister Juhan Parts.