Jüri Ratas

Last updated

Jüri Ratas
MEP
1718798568612 20240618 RATAS Juri EE 007.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
18th Prime Minister of Estonia
In office
23 November 2016 –26 January 2021
Alma mater Tallinn University of Technology

Jüri Ratas (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈjyriˈrɑtːɑs] ; born 2 July 1978) is an Estonian politician who served as the prime minister of Estonia from 2016 to 2021 and as the leader of the Centre Party from 2016 to 2023, and the mayor of Tallinn from 2005 to 2007. Ratas was a member of the Centre Party until switching to Isamaa in 2024.

Contents

As the prime minister Ratas led two cabinets his first cabinet was in office from 2016 to 2019 and second from 2019 to 2021. His second cabinet was notable for its share of public scandals, highest number of resignations of ministers in Estonian history and the number of public apologies from Ratas, mostly connected to the activities and offensive public statements of the smaller coalition partner nationalist and right-wing populist EKRE party. [1] [2] Among others they called Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin non-educated sales girl [3] and Joe Biden a corrupt character [4] forcing Ratas to apologize on their behalf. His tenure also saw the national budget of Estonia moving to deficit after years of being in surplus. [5]

Career

He acted as the vice-president of the Riigikogu from 2007 to 2016 and Mayor of Tallinn from 2005 to 2007, attaining the post at age 27. As a mayor of Tallinn he initiated the European Green Capital Award programme. [6]

In the 2015 Estonian parliamentary election, Ratas was re-elected to the parliament with 7,932 individual votes. [7] In March he was elected as the second deputy speaker of the Riigikogu. [8]

On 5 November 2016, Ratas was elected to succeed Edgar Savisaar as the leader of the Centre Party. [9] After Taavi Rõivas' second cabinet split in November 2016 due to internal struggle, coalition talks began between Centre Party, Social Democratic Party, and Pro Patria and Res Publica Union. [10]

Premiership

Ratas with Boris Johnson Prime Minister of Estonia (39331102444).jpg
Ratas with Boris Johnson
Ratas with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on 31 October 2019 Mike Pence with Estonian PM Juri Ratas.jpg
Ratas with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on 31 October 2019
Ratas with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on 22 September 2020 Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with Prime Minister of Estonia Juri Ratas in Helsinki 22. September 2020 (50371443536).jpg
Ratas with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on 22 September 2020

On 19 November, the three parties agreed on the conditions of Ratas' first cabinet. [11] Ratas was sworn in as the prime minister of Estonia on 23 November. [12] [13]

After 2019 parliamentary election, Ratas turned down an offer from the liberal, election-winning Reform Party for coalition and instead entered into talks with the conservative Isamaa and the often-considered as far-right, EKRE. On 17 April, Riigikogu granted Ratas the authority to form the government and remain Prime Minister. [14] These talks resulted in the formation of Ratas' second cabinet in April 2019.

During his tenure, the national budget of Estonia went into deficit after years of being in surplus. This drew widespread criticism, notably from the European Commission and the Estonian Central Bank. [15] [16]

On 9 March 2018, after Poland's referral to the European Court of Justice, leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia expressed their support for Poland over the Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union. Ratas said that "Any problems related to voting and taking away the right to vote – I do not think that it should happen at all, it would be a step too far." [17]

Coalition formation in 2019

In the elections of 2019, the party of Ratas, the Estonian Centre Party, lost support while the oppositional, liberal Estonian Reform Party, gained support and became the largest party by parliament seats in Estonia. After the elections, Ratas turned down an offer by the Reform party for coalition talks and entered into talks with Isamaa and EKRE, the latter being widely considered a far-right party. Ratas had previously ruled out forming a coalition with EKRE during the election campaign because of its hostile views. [18]

When I said before that it would be impossible for me to cooperate with a political party which cuts heads off, doesn't agree to certain nationalities or races, then EKRE has indeed said those things. [18]

— Ratas talking about EKRE in November 2018, widely interpreted as ruling out a coalition with EKRE.

The subsequent reversal of his stance and the inclusion of EKRE by Ratas in coalition talks after the elections was met with local and international criticism. In a poll conducted after the start of the coalition talks, the party of Jüri Ratas further lost support. [19] [20]

The critics of the decision have claimed that Ratas is willing to sacrifice his party's values, the confidence of his voters and the stability and reputation of the country to keep his position as prime minister. Ratas has countered that his first duty is to look for ways to get his party included in the government to be able to work in the benefit of his voters and that the coalition would continue to firmly support the EU, NATO and would be sending out messages of tolerance. [21] [22] [23]

Some key members and popular candidates of the party of Ratas have been critical of the decision, with Raimond Kaljulaid leaving the party in protest. Yana Toom, a member of the party and its representative in the European Parliament expressed criticism of the decision. Mihhail Kõlvart, popular among the Russian-speaking voters and the newly-elect mayor of Tallinn, has said the Centre party cannot govern with EKRE's approach. [24] [25] [26]

The decision was also criticised by Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE group in the European Parliament where The Centre Party of Ratas is a member, suggesting that Ratas should break off coalition talks with the national-conservative EKRE. Ratas responded in the Estonian media that "Brussels should not dictate to us what our coalition should be like." [27] [28]

When on the third week of coalition talks, Martin Helme of EKRE accused gynaecologists of violating their Hippocratic Oath by performing abortions, Ratas demanded the party to stop accusing doctors – with this being the first public criticism of EKRE by Ratas after the start of the coalition talks. [29]

On 17 April, Riigikogu voted in favour of granting Ratas the authority to form the government. [14]

Ratas resigned as prime minister on 13 January 2021 after the Prosecutor General suspected the Centre Party of "criminal involvement" in an influence peddling scandal involving businessman Hillar Teder. [30] Ratas stated that he had no knowledge of the alleged affair and had committed no wrongdoing, but chose to resign to take political responsibility for the scandal. He remained as the head of a caretaker government until a new coalition was formed. [31] On 25 January 2021 Kaja Kallas formed an Estonian Reform Party-led coalition government with the Estonian Centre Party. [32] He was succeeded by Lauri Hussar as the president of Riigikogu on 10 April 2023. [33]

Changing party

On 29 January 2024, Ratas announced leaving the Center Party and joining the conservative-christian democratic Isamaa due to value differences with his successor as the leader of the party Mihhail Kõlvart. [34]

Personal life

Ratas was born in Tallinn, Estonia. [35] His father was Centre Party politician Rein Ratas. [36] He attended secondary school in Nõmme. He graduated in Business Management from Tallinn University of Technology and obtained a master's degree in Economic Sciences from the same university. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Tartu. [37]

Ratas is married; he has a daughter and three sons. [38]

Ratas regards himself to be a believer and has completed the Alpha course at St. Olaf's Church. [39] Although in the press he has been described as a baptist, [40] he has denied this. [41] Apart from the Estonian language, Ratas is fluent in English and has an understanding of Russian, Swedish and Portuguese. He began learning Russian in early 2017. [42]

His hobbies include chess, reading and horse riding. [43]

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estonian Centre Party</span> Political party in Estonia

The Estonian Centre Party is a populist political party in Estonia. It was founded in 1991 as a direct successor of the Popular Front of Estonia, and it is currently led by Mihhail Kõlvart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estonian Reform Party</span> Political party in Estonia

The Estonian Reform Party is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kaja Kallas since 2018. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party", referencing its logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Savisaar</span> Estonian politician (1950–2022)

Edgar Savisaar was an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the Centre Party. He served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, and twice mayor of Tallinn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Democratic Party (Estonia)</span> Political party in Estonia

The Social Democratic Party is a centre-left political party in Estonia. It is currently led by Lauri Läänemets. The party was formerly known as the Moderate People's Party. The SDE has been a member of the Party of European Socialists since 16 May 2003 and was a member of the Socialist International from November 1990 to 2017. It is orientated towards the principles of social-democracy, and it supports Estonia's membership in the European Union. From April 2023, the party has been a junior coalition partner in the third Kallas government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Estonian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 4 March 2007. The newly elected 101 members of the 11th Riigikogu assembled at Toompea Castle in Tallinn within ten days of the election. It was the world's first nationwide vote where part of the voting was carried out in the form of remote electronic voting via the internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isamaa</span> Political party in Estonia

Isamaa is a Christian-democratic and national-conservative political party in Estonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siim Valmar Kiisler</span> Estonian politician (born 1965)

Siim Valmar Kiisler is an Estonian politician, a member of the Parempoolsed, former member of Isamaa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mart Helme</span> Estonian historian and politician

Mart Helme is an Estonian politician, diplomat and historian who served as the Minister of the Interior from 2019 to 2020. He was the longtime chairman of the national conservative Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) from 13 April 2013 to 4 July 2020 when he was succeeded by his son Martin Helme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Estonian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 3 March 2019. The newly elected 101 members of the 14th Riigikogu assembled at Toompea Castle in Tallinn within ten days of the election. The Reform Party remained the largest party, gaining four seats for a total of 34 and the Conservative People's Party had the largest gain overall, increasing their seat count by 12 to a total of 19 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Estonian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 5 March 2023 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu. The officially published election data indicate the victory of the Reform Party, which won 37 seats in total, while the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) placed second with 17 seats. The Centre Party won 16 seats, a loss of 10, while Estonia 200 won 14 seats, gaining representation in the Riigikogu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jüri Ratas's second cabinet</span> Government of Estonia from 2019 to 2021

Jüri Ratas's second cabinet was the 50th cabinet of Estonia, in office from 29 April 2019 to 14 January 2021. It was a centre-right coalition cabinet of the Centre Party, right-wing populist Conservative People's Party (EKRE) and conservative Isamaa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 European Parliament election in Estonia</span> 2024 election of members of the European parliament for Estonia

An election for the Members of the European Parliament from Estonia as part of the 2024 European Parliament election took place on 9 June. Early voting took place from 3 June to 8 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mihhail Kõlvart</span> Estonian politician (born 1977)

Mihhail Kõlvart is an Estonian politician currently serving as the leader of the Centre Party since 2023. He served as the mayor of Tallinn, Estonia, a position he has held since April 2019, after the resignation of Taavi Aas, until the vote of no confidence in him held on 26 March 2024.

An indirect election took place in Estonia on 30 and 31 August 2021 to elect the president of Estonia, who is the country's head of state. The Riigikogu — the Parliament of Estonia — elected Alar Karis to serve in the office and he was sworn in as the 6th president on 11 October 2021. The incumbent, Kersti Kaljulaid, was eligible to seek reelection to a second, and final, term but failed to gain the endorsement of at least 21 MPs, which is required in order for a candidate to register, as she was outspoken against some of the policies of the government, who thus denied her support.

Events in the year 2022 in Estonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaja Kallas's first cabinet</span> Government of Estonia from 2021 to 2022

Kaja Kallas's first cabinet was the Cabinet of Estonia between 26 January 2021 and 14 July 2022. It was a grand coalition cabinet of the Reform Party and the Centre Party until 3 June 2022 when Kallas dismissed Centre Party ministers from government after several weeks of disputes between the two parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaja Kallas's second cabinet</span> Government of Estonia from 2022 to 2023

The second cabinet of Kaja Kallas, was the cabinet of Estonia from 18 July 2022 until 17 April 2023 when it was succeeded by the third Kallas cabinet following the 2023 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Estonian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections will be held in Estonia by 7 March 2027 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu. Electoral district reform has been discussed for the next election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple Alliance (Estonia)</span> Political alliance in Estonia

Triple Alliance is a commonly used political term in Estonia to refer to the various coalition governments between the centre-left Social Democratic Party, centre-right Reform Party and conservative Isamaa or their predecessors. This coalition has formed four times in history - from 1999 to 2002, from 2007 to 2009, from 2015 to 2016 and from 2022 to 2023. None of the coalitions governments have lasted a full parliamentary term. All of the Triple Alliance cabinets have been the second ones of the respective Prime Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Estonian government crisis</span>

The 2022 Estonian government crisis was a political event in Estonia that occurred between May and July 2022. It includes the events that follow the introduction of a child benefits bill by the governing Centre Party with the support of the opposition Isamaa, Social Democrats and EKRE but without the support of the senior partner in the coalition, the Reform Party.

References

  1. ↑ ERR, Elo Ellermaa | (16 August 2019). "Ratas ei pea puhkenud skandaali valitsuskriisiks". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Estonia Government Nears Collapse After Nationalist Party Targets Police Chief". Bloomberg.com. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2021– via www.bloomberg.com.
  3. ↑ "Estonian minister mocks Finland's 'sales girl' PM Sanna Marin". The Guardian. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. ↑ "Estonia's far-right minister resigns over Biden remarks". AP News. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Kuhu kadus riigi raha? Riigieelarve suur puudujääk ja kärped on hoiatuste eiramise tagajärg". Ärileht. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "European Green Capital". ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 27 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Riigikogu valimised 2015: Detailne hääletamistulemus". Vabariigi Valimiskomisjon. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Eiki Nestor re-elected as Parliament Speaker, Seeder and Ratas as deputies". ERR. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Jüri Ratas elected chairman of the Center Party". ERR. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Prime Minister loses no confidence vote, forced to resign". ERR. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "Coalition agreement ready, ministries distributed". ERR. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "49th cabinet of Estonia sworn in under Prime Minister Jüri Ratas". ERR. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "Estonian PM invites far-right to join cabinet". Reuters. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019– via www.reuters.com.
  14. 1 2 "Riigikogu backs Centre-EKRE-Isamaa coalition, Ratas to remain PM". ERR. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  15. ↑ ERR, Mart Linnart (21 March 2019). "Keskpanka teeb majandustõusu ajal tekkinud riigieelarve puudujääk murelikuks". ERR.
  16. ↑ "Euroopa Komisjon: Eesti defitsiit on ebameeldiv üllatus". Äripäev.
  17. ↑ "Baltic states against EU sanctions on Poland EURACTIV.com". www.euractiv.com. 13 March 2018.
  18. 1 2 ERR (22 November 2018). "Ratas peab koalitsiooni EKRE-ga võimatuks". ERR. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "Kõlvart: erakonna püsimine on tähtsam kui olemine opositsioonis". Poliitika. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  20. ↑ "Uuring: valijad eelistavad kõike muud kui Keskerakonna-EKRE-Isamaa liitu". Poliitika. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  21. ↑ "Jüri Ratase ränk solvumine: Keskerakonna esimees on võimu nimel kõigeks valmis". Eesti Ekspress. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  22. ↑ "Keskerakond ei nõustu Reformierakonna ühiskondlikku ebavõrdsust suurendava ettepanekuga - Keskerakond". keskerakond.ee. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  23. ↑ "Jüri Ratas: "See küsimus on juba eos vale"". Poliitika. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  24. ↑ ERR, Mait Ots (12 March 2019). "Kaljulaid ERR-ile: enne lõhenegu Keskerakond, kui EKRE võimule aidatakse". ERR. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  25. ↑ ERR (11 March 2019). "Toom: ma ei näe EKRE-s väärilist partnerit". ERR. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  26. ↑ ERR, ERR (12 March 2019). "Kõlvart on EKRE's views: We cannot govern with their approach". ERR. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  27. ↑ "Ratas: Brüssel ei peaks Eestile ette kirjutama, missugune on meie uus koalitsioon". Postimees. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  28. ↑ ERR (13 March 2019). "Guy Verhofstadt implores Jüri Ratas to call off EKRE talks". ERR. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  29. ↑ ERR, ERR (22 March 2019). "Ratas to EKRE: Blaming gynaecologists, women must stop". ERR.
  30. ↑ "A political crisis in Estonia: Prime minister Jüri Ratas resigns". Estonian World. 13 January 2021.
  31. ↑ "Jüri Ratas resigns as prime minister following loan scandal". Eesti Rahvusringhääling . 13 January 2021.
  32. ↑ "Kaja Kallas to become Estonia's first female prime minister". euronews. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  33. ↑ ERR, ERR | (10 April 2023). "Eesti 200 leader Lauri Hussar elected Riigikogu speaker". ERR. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  34. ↑ "Jüri Ratas leaves Center Party to join Isamaa". err.ee. ERR. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  35. ↑ "Juri Ratas is Estonia's new Prime Minister". 21 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  36. ↑ "Peaminister Jüri Ratase perre sündis neljas laps". err.ee. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  37. ↑ "Prime Minister Jüri Ratas". Government of the Republic of Estonia. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  38. ↑ "Jüri Ratas: I'm the prime minister and I dance to the republic's tune". Estonian news - news.postimees.ee. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  39. ↑ "Oleviste koguduse vanempastor Siim Teekel annab Jüri Ratasele üle Piibli". Eesti Kirik. 20 April 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  40. ↑ "Tallinna linnapea Jüri Ratas on baptist". Delfi Publik. 23 December 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  41. ↑ "Vaata pikka intervjuud uue peaministriga". Eesti Televisioon. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  42. ↑ Scrutton, Alistair (24 February 2017). "Wary of divided loyalties, a Baltic state reaches out to its Russians". Reuters. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  43. ↑ "Знакомьтесь, премьер-министр". dv.ee. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  44. ↑ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №734/2022" (in Ukrainian). 21 October 2022.
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Centre Party
2016–2023		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Tallinn
2005–2007		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Estonia
2016–2021		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Riigikogu
2021–2023		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.