The chimneys of Toompea Hill came close to spewing out white smoke yesterday evening as the Riigikogu Council of Elders made a proposal to run for president to European Court of Auditors member Kersti Kaljulaid.
How parties came to Kaljulaid?
28th September 2016, 17:17
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Saturday
Phones, virtual lines of which led to Toompea, Stenbock House, and Kadriorg Palace, had been incessantly busy since Saturday evening. People were asking what had happened, why had the president not been elected. Blame was shifted and blank ballot papers explained as the only option. There was concern, however: what will happen next?
Sunday
The night passed. Head of the Reform Party, Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas publicly announced that he has invited heads of coalition partners, Margus Tsahkna and Jevgeni Ossinovski, for a meeting. When and where remained a secret. Come evening, Rõivas and Tsahkna had proposed as a serious candidate ambassador Jüri Luik. Ossinovski was having none of it, however: you think you can tell us who could be president!
Ossinovski's protest made Rõivas and his advisers realize that the Reform Party cannot be the one suggesting names. The ruling party has made enough presidents – it is time to pull back and put some distance between the party and the presidential topic, at least in the public eye.
All this while the public was discussing long lists of suitable candidates. Names considered included that of Luik and European Court of Auditors member Kersti Kaljulaid.
Chairman of the Riigikogu, social democrat Eiki Nestor was given a truly important task for the first time in the third year of his term in office: to guide the search for the president in the Riigikogu and find compromises. It was chairman of Nestor's party, Ossinovski, who told the public on Monday that the party would like to see Kersti Kaljulaid as the candidate.
Monday
The Council of Elders, made up of the Board of the Riigikogu and faction chairmen, discussed the procedure on Monday but did not produce any names. Ceaseless debates and discussions rang in the halls of the parliament building. By Monday evening the Riigikogu was over the barrel: IRL, Free Party, and Reform Party were almost committed to Luik. He would have had more than 50 votes.
While the Conservative People's Party (EKRE) had mentioned Luik as a potential candidate via chairman Mart Helme on Saturday, the party now decided to veto Luik for the sake of taking the process for everything it has and generally being against everything.
The Center Party was in the throes of a serious civil war already on Sunday, and the party has had little time to concentrate on the presidential election. By Tuesday it was clear that while Luik could get a few votes from the centrists, Kaljulaid's chances would be better. Even though Kaljulaid's political background is tied to IRL, her candidacy is made more palatable by the fact that she is the half-sister of Center Party member Raimond Kaljulaid.
Tuesday
The Council of Elder meeting that was put on hold around noon – the parliament had to address its daily tasks and discuss the situation in factions – was resumed in the afternoon. A hint that Luik could get 67 votes in the Riigikogu was released to the media probably by the Reform Party. This angered the social democrats – media pressure on those who would also like to make the president.
IRL and Free Party could not be against Kaljulaid – members of both parties have history with her from the days of Mart Laar's second government. Kaljulaid was discussed as IRL's potential candidate already in spring. Neither Luik nor Kaljulaid would under any circumstances have joined the party beauty contest that was the presidential election until last Saturday.
Representatives of the Reform Party were half an hour late for the evening Council of Elders meeting: pulses were high in the faction's rooms, and chairman Urve Tiidus eventually told the council that the party prefers Luik first and Kaljulaid second.
By yesterday evening, five parties were allegedly willing to support Kaljulaid, while the Reform Party was still holding back. It would be possible to elect Kaljulaid without the Reform Party next Monday – the votes of other parties amount to 71.
The facts are that Kersti Kaljulaid was summoned to Toompea and made a proposal to run for president yesterday evening, and that she will meet with Riigikogu factions today.
Whether Kaljulaid will become an official presidential candidate, in other words whether Toompea chimneys will once again produce white smoke should be clear by this evening.