Center Party leadership wants Toom to represent Savisaar, but lacks legal basis
After Edgar Savisaar was reelected leader of the Center Party last year, the number of its vice-chairpersons increased from two to four. The party’s constitution says Savisaar can appoint one of them to represent him whenever he is inconvenienced. But this might not be legal.
Jaak Aab, a member of the Center Party’s leadership, pointed out to Eesti Päevaleht that the Tartu County Court had never confirmed the legality of the changes made to the party’s constitution after last year’s congress. In Aab’s words, this meant that the party didn’t officially have a single vice-chairperson.
The Center Party’s constitution states that it is entirely up to Savisaar to decide who represents him in case he should find himself unable to perform his duties. Currently he has four representatives to choose from: Yana Toom, Jaanus Karilaid, Siret Kotka, and Olga Ivanova.
The four replaced Kadri Simson and Enn Eesmaa as vice-chairpersons after the party congress in late 2015.
On Friday, the party's leadership decided that Yana Toom would represent Savisaar. But, as Aab put it, “In this case, the leadership’s decision legally is of no effect.”
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn