Reinsalu: I have no ambition to run for president

Although there has been recent speculation about the possibility of Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu becoming a candidate in next year's presidential election, the Isamaa politician denied the rumors on Wednesday to ERR.
"I have no ambitions to run for the presidency," Reinsalu said in response to Toomas Sildam's questions on ERR's online broadcast "Otse uudistemajast". "I have not expressed these ambitions before, nor do I express them here now."
There has been speculation for some time about Reinsalu's putting himself forward for the candidacy. It has been suggested that if the Center Party holds the position of prime minister and EKRE has the position of the speaker of the Riigikogu, then a member of Isamaa could become the president. It is thought to be unlikely current president Kersti Kaljulaid will be elected again.
Sildam said this had also been discussed between politicians at the Riigikogu's opening session on Monday.
Reinsalu said the coalition parties would definitely try to agree on a common candidate. At the same time, the votes of coalition alone are not enough to elect a president in the Riigikogu as 68 MPs votes are needed.
"The logic of the constitution is that there is more support for a candidate than just a majority. This has been the expectation of the creators of the constitution. This has not been achieved in parliament before, but it has been pursued," he said.
Speaking about the possibility of asking for support from the opposition Reform Party, he said: "We need to start discussions with a good mood, an honest mind and an open attitude."
Kaljulaid's next move not clear
Last month it was announced that Kaljulaid is considering running for the Secretary General of the OECD next year. She told ERR this week that the idea of her candidacy came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that her campaign was being led by foreign ministry officials.
However, Kaljulaid's candidacy for secretary-general has raised the question of whether she will run for a second term as president or not.
In response to a question from the ERR this week, she left the possibility open by saying the campaign lasts for a year, so the two will not overlap.
The next presidential elections will take place in 2021 between August 10 and September 29.
So far, only the chairman of the Reform Party Kaja Kallas has repeatedly said that she would support Kaljulaid in her bid for a second term.
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Editor: Helen Wright