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Ülle Madise set to become Estonia’s president as sole candidate
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Elections & Politics

Ülle Madise set to become Estonia’s president as sole candidate

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • Estonia’s Riigikogu is expected to elect unaffiliated former law professor Ülle Madise as president, with 75 lawmakers backing her candidacy and at least 68 votes required.
  • Support from parties ranging from the left-wing Social Democrats to the conservative Isamaa and the governing Reform Party has given Madise a broad parliamentary base.
  • Critics, including opposition leader Mijail Kõlvart, say the uncontested process highlights public dissatisfaction with Estonia’s indirect presidential election system.

Ülle Madise is set to become Estonia’s next president with no rival on the ballot, after lawmakers from across the political spectrum signed behind her candidacy. The Riigikogu is due to vote on Wednesday, and 75 legislators have backed her, seven more than the 68 votes required.

It seems that the Estonian electorate, on average, is now getting the president it knows best. If direct presidential elections were held with the same candidates who reached the final selection, the result would probably be that Ülle Madise would also become president.

— Martin MölderThe political scientist assessed Madise’s broad parliamentary support and likely public backing.

Madise is a former law professor without a party affiliation and is serving her second term as Estonia’s justice minister. Her supporters include the left-wing Social Democrats, the nationalist-conservative Isamaa, the governing liberal Reform Party and independent lawmakers.

Political scientist Martin Mölder said the unusually broad coalition suggested that Estonians would receive a president with support across the political field. He argued that Madise would probably also have won a direct election against the finalists considered by parliament.

When decisions are made in party offices and the president is elected practically before the Riigikogu even votes, this discontent is not surprising.

— Martin MölderMölder commented on polling showing dissatisfaction with Estonia’s indirect presidential selection process.

That broad support has not ended criticism of the process. A Norstat poll conducted on Aug. 19 and 20 found that 70% of Estonians preferred to elect the president directly, while another survey found 59% dissatisfied with the current system. Mölder said such discontent was understandable when parties effectively settle the choice before parliament votes.

The Centre Party’s position has not changed. In our view, there should be elections, not appointments. Since there are no elections in the Riigikogu, we do not wish to participate in appointments.

— Mijail KõlvartThe opposition leader explained why his party objected to the uncontested parliamentary process.

Mijail Kõlvart, leader of the opposition Centre Party, said a single candidate represented a confirmation of an appointment rather than an election. Estonia’s ambassador to the United States, Hannes Hanso, also said the parliamentary process reflected poorly on the country’s otherwise democratic political culture.

We are an extremely democratic country by any international standard. But the fact that the presidential election process takes place largely through a shadow theatre and various political manoeuvres, in my opinion, is out of step with that.

— Hannes HansoEstonia’s ambassador to the United States criticized the way parliament chooses the president.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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