Finance minister: President acting unconstitutionally and should resign
Finance minister Martin Helme (EKRE) says that President Kersti Kaljulaid should step down, due to actions in not promulgating legal amendments to the law regulating Estonia's foreign service. The president returned the amendments unsigned, as per her constitutional role, saying that they treated those who were spouses of diplomats differently from those who were partners in the understanding of the registered partnerships act.
Helme wrote on his social media account Thursday that: "A political activist living in Kadriorg who takes the wage of the office of the president failed to promulgate a law from which the Riigikogu knowingly, intentionally and based on values removed the implementing section of the Cohabitation Act. Such is the legitimate political will of the people's elected parliament. The president has no scope or function here to think otherwise."
"I have an urgent recommendation that Kaljulaid read the constitution through to the end, then she will discover that shortly after, the fifth chapter 'The President of the Republic "will come, which very precisely defines his powers. Relying on political arguments is not her right. However, doing so means that she is abusing power and violating the constitution - he should be removed from office for these two things," he went on.
The president returned the amendments to the Foreign Service Act Thursday, saying they gave unequal treatment to the actual spouses of members of the foreign service as against partners registered in accordance with the Registered Partnership Act.
Helme also said that the president had been dishonest in clothing political moves up in constitutionality, which, he said, was political activism and unconstitutional.
The president had herself said that the amendment, in treating legally married partners differently from those recognized on the basis of the Registered Partnerships Act, was unconstitutional in respect of section 12 of the Estonian constitution.
"Kaljulaid bases her rainbow-colored political activism on unconstitutionality. For the same reason, she did not promulgate pension reform, and it was the same reason with the Defense Forces Intelligence Act, the same reason for rescuing the rescue law. Any political choice by the current coalition is unconstitutional. Usually this is in reference to section 12, which prohibits discrimination," Helme went on.
Helme also said that the development represented a broader effort to demolish both nation state and family, by misusing what he said was a fairly reasonable provision of the constitution and diverging from the original vision of the constitution, drawn up 28 years ago, leaving of with the open question of whether Estonia therefore needed a new constitution.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
