No Clear Candidate for Replacing Culture Minister
Before the new development late last night, Rein Lang was on track to resign as culture minister on December 2, and the search for a successor was on.
The media have mentioned several possible names - Kaja Kallas, a rising star in the Reform Party, is one. However, Kallas told ETV that she would decline any such offer.
Tiina Lokk, the director of the Black Nights Film Festival, is another name mooted.
Lokk said her first reaction was not to take it seriously, and added she was too tied to the film festival.
Valdo Randpere, Imre Sooäär and Andrei Korobeinik round out the field for now.
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip has said Lang's resignation will not be followed by more reshuffling in the Cabinet, ERR radio reported on Friday.
Lang told ETV Thursday night that he will resign after all, despite surviving a vote of no confidence earlier in the day.
A scandal started the week before last, when writer Kaur Kender was tapped as the new editor of Sirp, a state-funded culture weekly.
Kender was picked - allegedly by Lang himself - after an unsuccessful hiring round, and his first big decision in the position was a controversial round of layoffs.
However, Kender injected more complexity into the situation by announcing his own resignation early Monday morning.