Who says Estonian politicians have no sense of humor?
Widespread stereotype says that most Estonian politicians – majority of whom are men – are rather sombre creatures, hardly managing a smile, let alone cracking a joke or two. But one of them, the former defense minister Sven Mikser, took his demotion rather lightly.
Mikser was forced to return to Parliament, following the ministerial reshuffle, initiated by the new leader of the Social Democrats Jevgeni Ossinovski. Nearly all of the party's government ministers were called back last week and replaced with new faces.
Mikser, who had been a defense minister since March 2014, had to vacate his position for Hannes Hanso, and take a seat in the Parliament again, becoming the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Although many thought that it was unwise move amid turbulent times and security concerns, Mikser appeared to find some humour in all of this.
He tweeted on Tuesday: "How do you know when you're not a minister anymore? It's when you get into the back seat of your car – and it doesn't go anywhere."
Perhaps Mikser will now also encourage other Estonian politicians not to take themselves so seriously all the time?
Editor: S. Tambur