ETV Producer, Former ISS Chief Join Politics
ETV producer Heidy Purga, best known to ERR News readers as the organizer of the Eesti Laul competition, has become the latest public figure to go into politics, joining the Reform Party, while Raivo Aeg, head of the Internal Security Service (ISS) between 2008-13, has joined IRL.
"Leaving ISS a year-and-a-half ago I did not foresee myself going into politics. Ukraine and the change in the security situation in the world and in Estonia were the decisive factors,“ he told Eesti Päevaleht.
“Reform Party's liberal worldview and concern for Estonia's future coincide with my own worldview,” Purga said, adding that she is planning to run for Parliament in March.
She has worked for ERR for the past 15 years, mostly on Radio 2 and the Eesti Laul project, the qualifying competition for the Eurovision Song Contest.
She said if elected, she would protect values dear to her, such as freedom, creativity, independence, new culture, youths and opportunities for self determination.
Maris Lauri joined the same party only on Monday, and has been named as the party's candidate to replace Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi. Liina Kersna, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, announced on Friday that she will join the Reform Party and run for office.
Other notable figures who have joined a party include Toomas Kivimägi (Reform Party), the mayor of Pärnu since 2009, retired generals and former former Defense Forces commanders Johannes Kert and Ants Laaneots (both Reform Party) and retired Vice Admiral Tarmo Kõuts (Free Party). Actor Ain Lutsepp (Free Party) and ETV presenter Maire Aunaste (IRL) also made the switch in recent weeks.
Mihkel Raud joined the Social Democrats in May.
Expect more career changes ahead of the 2015 parliamentary elections, four months away.