Estonia's ex-defence minister Pevkur leaves politics, will not run in elections
Hanno Pevkur, a Reform Party member of Estonia's parliament and former defence minister, has announced he will not run in the March parliamentary elections. He plans to work in the private sector, including outside Estonia.
Hanno Pevkur, a Reform Party politician and member of the Riigikogu (Estonia's parliament), has announced that he is leaving politics and will not stand in the parliamentary elections due in Estonia in March. Pevkur resigned as defence minister in September, and his decision means one of the party's best-known figures will be absent from the ballot.
In an interview with ERR, Pevkur said he has spent 25 years in politics, including 20 with a parliamentary mandate and 12 in government. Until he decides on his next steps, he will continue to serve out his mandate in parliament.
Reasons for the decision
He cited several factors: the internal atmosphere in the party, the broader political culture, his health and personal ambitions. He said he believes he would have been re-elected, but that the decisive factor was his own sense of where he stands in political life. Pevkur also ruled out running for another party and stressed that he does not intend to switch parties.
Background
In September he stepped down as minister, taking political responsibility for shortcomings and opaque deals in the management of the Ministry of Defence, mainly at the Centre for Defence Investment (RKIK).
Pevkur is 49. He has served in seven governments and headed ministries in five different fields: social affairs (2009–2012), justice (2012–2014), interior (2014–2016) and defence (2022–2026). From January 2017 to April 2018 he led the Reform Party. As defence minister he enjoyed the highest public trust among government members. In the 2023 election he received 6,567 votes, or 23%, in the Lääne-Viru County district.
Pevkur confirmed he wants to use his knowledge in the private sector and is open to job offers abroad. He said he does not plan to move straight from the ministry to an Estonian defence industry company, and that some time must pass between the two.
He is not alone: several other prominent Reform Party figures, including Liina Kersna, Maris Lauri and Andres Sutt, as well as Kaja Kallas, who works in Brussels, will also not run.
