Ligi on Ylhtega's candidacy: it's a tragedy for democracy

Estonian Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party) has sharply criticized the decision by public figures to nominate former Commander of the Defense League (Kaitseliit) Riho Ühtegi as a presidential candidate.

In an interview with Delfi, Ligi noted that such self-nominations have historically ended awkwardly, but this time it is a tragedy for democracy. He emphasized that military personnel as heads of state are an exception in the free world and are more typical of weak democracies. According to Ligi, Ühtegi has no memorable thoughts on the constitution or social order, yet he is ready to take a position whose prerequisite is to be a moral compass – that is the worst thing.

Ligi recalled that in 2007, a criminal case was opened regarding the activities of military intelligence when Ühtegi was commander of the intelligence battalion; Ligi was defense minister at the time. "The case was closed with a humiliating explanation that these people did not know what they were doing under Ühtegi's leadership. And now someone wants to try their hand at state governance again," Ligi said.

Ühtegi responded that the so-called surveillance scandal mentioned by Ligi actually began in 2006 when a military intelligence officer on his own initiative compiled a memorandum based on open sources about persons "pulling the strings" in Estonia. "This memorandum never reached my desk because the analyst considered it insignificant and sent it to the archive," Ühtegi explained. He added that at that time there was a serious conflict between the defense minister and the leadership of the Defense Forces, and Commander Tarmo Kõuts went into politics. Ühtegi said there is no point in speculating why a memorandum based on open sources and not used in any procedure was made public just before the parliamentary elections.

According to ERR, composer Sven Grünberg, entrepreneur Hugo Osula, entrepreneur and filmmaker Chris Taska, actor and director Hendrik Toompere, and analyst Raivo Vare are proposing Riho Ühtegi as a candidate for the next president of Estonia. Vare confirmed that Ühtegi himself has given his consent.