In the first round, Allar Jõks got 83 votes, followed by Siim Kallas’ 81, Mailis Reps’ 79, Marina Kaljurand’s 75, and Mart Helme’s 16 votes.

Jõks said after the first round that his good result justified the work that had gone into his campaign. His unexpectedly high support came from the Free Party and IRL as well as electors without a party affiliation. Jõks has done a lot of work for the recognition of independent ballot lists in elections, work that apparently wasn’t forgotten.

Siim Kallas said to ETV that he was satisfied with his result, and expressed hope that the Reform Party would unite behind him in the second round.

Marina Kaljurand said that she respected the decision of the electors. For the next round, Kaljurand called upon electors to vote their conscience and elect the next head of state. Asked about her future plans, Kaljurand said she wasn’t ready to comment. “This isn’t an issue now, let’s take it one day at a time. I’m satisfied and proud,” she said.

According to analysts, the result of the first round came as a surprise and was a testament to the good work IRL and the Free Party had done to mobilize support for their candidate. Though for the second round, the question that remains is how the Center Party and the Social Democrats’ electors will vote, as it is unlikely for a large number of Reform party representatives to switch from their own man to Jõks.