Michal: Reform backs Ülle Madise for president, calls for unity
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal says the Reform Party firmly supports Justice Chancellor Ülle Madise as presidential candidate and urges other parties to also back her.
Prime Minister and Reform Party chair Kristen Michal has stated that his party firmly backs Justice Chancellor Ülle Madise for the presidency. Michal told ERR that party members hope she agrees to run and that they would gladly vote for her. He believes Madise could attract support from both liberal and conservative MPs, commanding the broadest support as future head of state and serving as a unifying figure.
Michal called on other political parties to make their positions clear, saying that if broader backing emerges, Madise could run and unite the entire political landscape. Former prime minister and former Reform chair Andrus Ansip added that the public has been left with the impression that only Eesti 200 and the Social Democrats (SDE) support Madise. Ansip emphasized that the Reform Party supports Madise's candidacy 100 percent with no hesitation.
The official nomination period for presidential candidates opens on August 21, with a minimum of 21 votes needed out of 101 seats in the Riigikogu. So far, only the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), which lacks sufficient votes, has formally named a candidate — party founder and deputy chair Mart Helme.
