According to Ms Kaljurand, statements of the likes of Mr Helme would not affect her decisions including running for President. «I listen to, take council with, and consider the opinions of people who, I respect and whose opinion is important to me. Mr Helme is not among those people,» noted the foreign minister.
Commenting on the rhetoric of Mr Helme, political scientist Rein Toomla recalled that the issue of nationality has in various forms surfaced at earlier occasions as related to presidential elections, while thus far remaining a rather unimportant side issue. He thinks it is a new level this time as nobody had deemed it becoming to attack a potential candidate for nationality. «This for sure is a new thing,» he said.
Asked why a leading politician would resort to such tools Mr Toomla said this could be the pragmatic calculation of such principles being liked by many, it being for them a matter of principle that parents of some minister or President are not Estonians.
«While forgivable for a voter to stress such things, politicians should be much more balanced. Naturally, nationality or cultural background ought not be at centre of elections. Otherwise, at one point we will be saying such and such does not qualify being a woman or one-legged. The entire discussion should boil down to whether in office an individual would pose a threat to Estonian state and I am sure that even Martin Helme agrees that Marina Kaljurand poses no threat tour state,» mulled Mr Rein Toomla.
A MEP from Centre, Yana Toom thinks Martin Helme’s statement to not be the first one that crossed the ethical line.
«I am for Estonia to have an established political nationality. And, viewed from that angle, Marina Kaljurand is definitely an Estonian,» said Ms Toom.