Estonian presidential elections, 2006 took place over four rounds, which were held on 28 and 29 August,[1] and 23 September 2006.[2] The first three rounds of the presidential election were held within the Riigikogu, which is Estonia's Parliament, as specified under electoral law. The two top candidates, Ene Ergma and Toomas Hendrik Ilves, were not elected because they did not obtain the required two-thirds of the votes in the Riigikogu.
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu. In addition to approving legislation, the Riigikogu appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and elects the President. The Riigikogu also ratifies significant foreign treaties that impose military and proprietary obligations, bring about changes in law, etc.; approves the budget presented by the government as law and monitors the executive power.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland with Finland on the other side, to the west by the Baltic Sea with Sweden on the other side, to the south by Latvia (343 km), and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia (338.6 km). The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi), water 2,839 km2 (1,096 sq mi), land area 42,388 km2 (16,366 sq mi), and is influenced by a humid continental climate. The official language of the country, Estonian, is the second most spoken Finnic language.
Ene Ergma is an Estonian politician, a member of the Riigikogu, and scientist. She was a member of the political party Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica and, before the two parties merged, a member of Res Publica Party. On 1 June 2016, Ergma announced her resignation from the party, because the party had lost its identity and turned populist.
As the Riigikogu was unable to make a decision within the first three rounds, it was required under Estonian electoral law to convene an Electoral Body to decide the presidency. It was convened on 23 September, and Toomas Hendrik Ilves emerged as the winner over the other candidate and incumbent president, Arnold Rüüte, after obtaining a majority of the votes in the Electoral Body.[3]
Electoral System
The President of the Republic of Estonia is indirectly elected, and serves primarily to represent the country as the symbolic Head of State of the executive branch.[4] The president is elected for a five-year term and cannot stand for more than two consecutive terms. Any Estonian citizen by birth over the age of forty can be nominated as a candidate, but must be supported by a minimum of one fifth of the Riigikogu, equivalent to 21 members.[5]
The President of the Republic Election Act, which was passed on April 10, 1996, governs the election process. There are up to five rounds of elections. In the first round, members of the Riigikogu vote for the new president; a candidate receiving a two-thirds majority of votes is elected. If no candidate receives the required majority, a second round of voting is held the next day. If no candidate receives the required majority during the second round, a third round of voting is held on the same day in which the two candidates who earned the most votes in the second round compete for a two-thirds majority.
If neither candidate receives the required majority during the third round, the President of the Riigikogu convenes an electoral body composed of the members of the Riigikogu as well as representatives from local government councils to choose the new president. Each local government council elects their own representatives, and the number of representatives from each community depends on population.[6] In the 2006 election, the electoral body contained 347 people: 101 Riigikogu members and 247 local representatives.[7] In the fourth round, candidates who participated in the third round of voting, or newly nominated candidates with the support of at least 21 members of the electoral body are entered on the ballot. The electoral body votes, and the candidate receiving a majority of votes is elected. If no candidate receives a majority, a fifth round of voting is held on the same day. The two candidates who received the most votes during the fourth round are entered into the fifth round, and the candidate receiving a majority of votes is elected.[8]
In March 2006 five of the six political parties in the Riigikogu appointed twelve potential candidates for the Parliament’s election of the President of the Republic. On 11 May Laine Janes, Liina Tonisson, Peeter Tulviste, Jaan Mannik, and Toomas Varek were eliminated from the race. On 28 June Aadu Must, Paul-Erik Rummo, and Enn Eesma were eliminated. Finally, Jaak Aavisko was eliminated on 19 July, leaving two main candidates: Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is a member of the Social Democrat Party, a former Ambassador of the United States, and a Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ene Ergma, a former Minister and Deputy Parliamentary Speaker.[10] Neither Ilves nor Ergma got the necessary two-thirds of the vote to become the president during the parliamentary rounds of voting on August 28 and 29.[11]
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is an Estonian politician who served as the fourth President of Estonia from 2006 until 2016. Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist, and he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s. He served in the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1998 and again from 1999 to 2002. Later, he was a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2006. He was elected as President of Estonia by an electoral college on 23 September 2006 and his term as President began on 9 October 2006. He was reelected by Parliament in 2011.
On 18 May the present president of Estonia Arnold Rüütel declared that he would be a candidate for re-election if the vote was decided by the electoral college, which occurs when the Parliament fails to elect a President with a two-third majority. Though, according to analysts, Rüütel had high chances in the electoral college and was supported by the People’s Union and the Centre Party, he was constantly criticized for not having participated in the Riigikogu round and not taking part in debates. Rüütel held a poor command of the English language and was often criticised for his passive role in foreign affairs.[12] He was mostly supported by the Russian-speaking population, older voters, the least educated and by those living in the country’s rural zones. The end of his term was overshadowed by a scandalous story shown on the Estonian Television about Rüütel’s teenage granddaughters running orgies in the presidential palace. Consequently, younger generation perceived their president as weak and incompetent and showed preference for Toomas Ilves, who was nominated as a candidate for the 2006 presidential election by the Reform Party, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica, and his own Social Democratic party.
Arnold RüütelOIH served as the last Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR from April 8, 1983, to March 29, 1990, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR from March 29, 1990, to October 6, 1992, and was the third President of Estonia from October 8, 2001, to October 9, 2006. He was the second President since Estonia regained independence in 1991. Rüütel also served as one of fifteen Deputy Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
His victory in the 2006 presidential election, that was named “clash of the eras”, was regarded partially as a protest against the parties that supported Rüüteland and as a rejection of the Soviet-era leader in favor of youthful and more liberal president. [13] As Toomas Hendrik Ilves was the sole candidate in the third round of voting, he automatically qualified for a place in the fourth round of voting conducted with the Electoral Body. On the 21st of September, Arnold Rüütel was nominated by at least 21 members of the Electoral Body to participate in the fourth round of voting.[14] On the 23rd of September, 174 out of the 345 available votes were polled for Toomas Hendrik Ilves for the position of the President of the Republic of Estonia. As he obtained the majority (by a sliver; less 2 votes and it would have led to run-off) of the votes, he was elected as the President of Estonia.[15]
The Election
The first three rounds of the presidential election were held in the Estonian parliament between Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Ene Ergma. The first parliamentary round was held on August 26, 2006 with Ene Ergma receiving 65 of 101 votes. On August 29, 2006, Toomas Hendrik Ilves gained 64 votes in the second round held in the parliament. That same day, Ilves gained 64 votes again in the third round. The Centre Party, which would later support Rütel, and the People’s Union party refused to vote in the third round. [16] These first three rounds of voting were inconclusive, since neither candidate obtained the needed ⅔ of the 101 votes to secure the presidency. [17] However, since Ilves was the only remaining candidate by the third round, he continued onward to the final round determined by the electoral body. At this point, Arnold Rütel, president at the time, stepped in to compete in the fourth round as well. [18]
This final round was a simple majority vote within the electoral college, which consists of 347 members from both parliament and local governments [19] This round was held on September 23, 2006, and Ilves won with 174 votes to Rütel’s 162. 173 votes were needed to win the presidency. Toomas Hendrik Ilves entered the presidential office on October 9, 2006. [20]
Juhan Parts is an Estonian politician who was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2003 to 2005 and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications from 2007 to 2014. Juhan Parts is a member of the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica party.
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, in 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is bestowed upon the President of the Republic. Presidents of the Republic who have ceased to hold office keep the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. The Collar of the Order was used de facto as the badge of office of the President of the Republic, since Soviet authorities took the original Presidential collar, that of the Order of the National Coat of Arms out of Estonia after the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940; it remains as of 2018 in the Kremlin in Moscow. However a new collar of that order was made in 2008. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is also given as a decoration of the highest class to foreigners who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia. As such it is the highest and most distinguished order granted by Estonia to non-Estonian citizens.
The European Parliament election of 2004 in Estonia was the election of MEP representing Estonia constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. The vote took place on June 13.
The Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Estonia, currently led by Jevgeni Ossinovski.
Estonia elects a legislature on the national level. The Riigikogu has 101 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. A head of state - the president - is elected for a five-year term by parliament or an electoral college. Locally, Estonia elects local government councils, which vary in size. Election law states the minimum size of a council depending on the size of municipality. Local government councils are elected by proportional representation too.
The President of the Republic of Estonia is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current President is Kersti Kaljulaid, elected by Parliament on 3 October 2016, becoming the first woman and youngest person ever who holds the position.
Andrus Ansip is an Estonian politician, the current European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice President of the European Commission, in office since 2014. Previously, he was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2005 to 2014 and chairman of the liberal Estonian Reform Party from 2004 to 2014.
People's Party of Republicans and Conservatives was an Estonian political party, which existed under this banner from 1994 to 1998.
Jaak Aaviksoo is an Estonian politician and physicist, rector of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech).
Estonia–Sweden relations are foreign relations between Estonia and Sweden. Estonia was wholly or partially under Swedish rule between 1561 and 1721.
An indirect presidential election took place in Estonia on August 29, 2011. There were two candidates: incumbent president Toomas Hendrik Ilves and European parliament deputy Indrek Tarand. For the first time in the country's post-Soviet history, only one round took place, as Ilves was able to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to get re-elected without a runoff. Ilves received 73 votes while Tarand obtained only 25. One vote was blank and two were disqualified. Ilves was supported by the ruling Estonian Reform Party and Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica, as well as the Social Democratic Party, to which he formerly belonged. Tarand was supported by the Estonian Centre Party.
Urve Tiidus is an Estonian politician, member of the Reform Party and former journalist. She was Minister of Culture in Taavi Rõivas's first cabinet. She has been a member of Riigikogu since 2011. Before that she served as the mayor of Kuressaare.
An indirect election took place in Estonia in 2016 to elect the president of Estonia, who is the country's head of state. The Riigikogu — the Parliament of Estonia — elected Kersti Kaljulaid to be the next head of state of Estonia to succeed Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who had served his second and final term as president. Kaljulaid is the first female head of state of Estonia.
Allar Jõks is an Estonian lawyer and the former Chancellor of Justice. He was proposed to the office by President Lennart Meri and served between 2001 and 2008. He was proposed again by Toomas Hendrik Ilves in December 2007, but the Riigikogu voted against the appointment.
Ülle Aaskivi was an Estonian lawyer, politician, and public official. Aaskivi was elected a member of the Estonian Supreme Soviet in 1990 and the Estonian Constitutional Assembly, as well as one of the ratifiers of the Constitution of Estonia who voted for the Estonian restoration of Independence. She was elected to the Riigikogu for the Social Democratic Party of Estonia.
Ülo Nugis was an Estonian politician and economist. As Speaker of the Supreme Council of Estonia on 20 August 1991, he presided over the Supreme Council's historic session when it voted for the restoration of Estonia’s national independence from the Soviet Union.
References
↑ "President of the Republic of Estonia Elections." Valimised.
↑ "President of the Republic of Estonia Elections." Valimised.
↑ "Elections of the President of the Republic of Estonia 2016." Valimised.
↑ Dubrovnik, Tadej, "The Position, Election and Powers of the President of the Republic of Estonia"
↑ Corinne Deloy and Rodolphe Laffranque, "Presidential Election in Estonia, 28th August 2006"
↑ "The President of the Republic Election Act" (1996)
↑ Corinne Deloy and Rodolphe Laffranque, "Presidential Election in Estonia, 28th August 2006"
↑ "The President of the Republic Election Act" (1996)
↑ Corinne Deloy and Rodolphe Laffranque, "Presidential Election in Estonia, 28th August 2006"
↑ Corinne Deloy and Rodolphe Laffranque, "Presidential Election in Estonia, 28th August 2006"
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