Jana Toom: Ülle Madise as Apolitical Presidential Candidate Is an Open Secret
Estonia's Reform Party will discuss a presidential candidate on Monday, with Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise increasingly rumored. Politicians note that the 'apolitical' candidate is actually well-known to everyone.
The Reform Party is set to discuss its candidate for the presidency on Monday, June 29. Although no names have been officially announced, political circles increasingly suggest that the next head of state could be an apolitical woman, such as Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise.
Parties are actively preparing for the presidential elections in September. Much is said about the apolitical nature of the potential president, justified by the fact that no party will tolerate a candidate from the opposing camp, reports "Aktuaalne kaamera."
No one wants to prolong the process, so politicians aim to elect the president in the Riigikogu. Consequently, the Reform Party, which has the most seats in parliament, becomes the main driving force.
Reform MEP Urmas Paet says there is no need to seek an apolitical candidate. "Ideally, the president of Estonia should be someone with both foreign and domestic policy experience. And it should not be that someone becomes president and people only get to know them then," Paet stated.
Centrists could theoretically agree to the Reform Party's candidate, but as MEP Jana Toom notes, no one will allow the ruling party to dictate the choice of candidates. "We all know who this apolitical woman is—it's Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise. An interview with her was coincidentally published right after Alar Karis's announcement. That is an open secret. But I think we have many apolitical women and men. And in fact, there are a huge number of willing candidates," Toom remarked.
"Isamaa's position was to support Alar Karis, and I personally regret that he will not run. Is Ülle Madise a good and serious candidate? Certainly. But in my opinion, it is important to find a person who also enjoys broad public support," said Isamaa MEP Jüri Ratas.
"There is a candidate for president in society who deserves the support of the majority of the Riigikogu. I think he is not a politician and works in the state system," Ratas added.
Among potential contenders was Social Democrat MEP Sven Mikser. However, Mikser himself claims that no euro-MP has been considered by the parties. In his assessment, there can be no talk of an apolitical president. "The president is a political position, so the president must be someone from among politicians. I think parties are looking for someone not involved in current politics, so it's not so much about an apolitical candidate or a person outside politics, but about the president understanding domestic politics," Mikser emphasized.
