Estonian PM apologizes for delayed answer to Riigikogu deputy

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal of the Reform Party has finally responded to a written inquiry from Riigikogu MP Züleyha Izmailova of the Social Democratic Party. The deputy had accused the government of failing to meet deadlines for parliamentary oversight.

Izmailova sent the prime minister a question on May 29 concerning an action plan for electrification and energy consumption management. Under the parliament's internal rules and working procedure law, a response to written requests must be provided within 10 working days. The deadline passed on June 15, but according to the deputy, no reply had arrived by then.

In her appeal, Izmailova argued that the absence of a response obstructs the parliament's ability to exercise control over the executive branch. She was quoted as saying: "It is impossible to exercise parliamentary control over the actions of the executive if the head of government is hindering it." She asked three questions: when the answer would be provided, whether the prime minister is aware that the law does not allow extending the deadline, and what measures would be taken to ensure the government respects established deadlines in the future.

The answer, dated July 19, was published in the public document register only on July 30. Michal apologised for the delay and explained it by the lengthy preparation and the vacation season. "We apologise for the delay in responding. The preparation of the answer took longer than planned because of the holiday period. I confirm that in the future we will try to ensure that answers are provided in a timely manner," Michal wrote. The prime minister did not separately address the deputy's claim of a possible legal violation, focusing instead on the reasons for the delay.