Estonia’s divided parliament has failed to elect a successor to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is having to stand down after two consecutive terms.
Estonia’s divided parliament has failed to elect a successor to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is having to stand down after two consecutive terms.
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Former prime minister and EU commissioner Siim Kallas and the opposition Centre Party candidate Mailis Reps both failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the 101-seat parliament following two rounds of voting.
Kallas, a liberal and co-founder of the governing Reform party scored 42 votes while the left-leaning Reps took 26.
They will now face the vote of the 347-strong Electoral College on September 24, made up of parliamentarians as well as local representatives where they will need just a simple majority to win.
Estonia’s head of state plays a largely ceremonial role in the Baltic NATO country of 1.3 million people and is elected by parliament or Electoral College rather than direct public vote.