Henn Põlluaas to remain Riigikogu speaker until at least March 22
Although Center Party and Reform Party are negotiating to form a government and will soon distribute influential political positions, they will not be able to step into the position of President of the Riigikogu until at least March 22.
The Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act says that the elections of the roles of Riigikogu president and vice-presidents will take place in the final sitting of the Riigikogu's full week prior to one year passing from last elections.
The President of the Riigikogu is Henn Põlluaas (EKRE) and he was elected to the position on March 25, 2020, meaning the Riigikogu will choose a new speaker in the week of March 22-28, 2021. The election day will likely be Wednesday, March 24.
The new government to be formed cannot bring the elections forth as Põlluaas would have to voluntarily resign for that to happen. Two remaining options - Põlluaas' Riigikogu membership ending unexpectedly or him becoming a member of government - are also highly unlikely.
Põlluaas told ERR that he plans on continuing as Riigikogu speaker until the next regular elections in March. "Of course. The Riigikogu board is picked each year and I plan to be there until then. I have handled my job well in my opinion and the Riigikogu elected me. I see no reason to step down because a conservative coalition has been replaced with a corruptive one," Põlluaas said.
it is still unknown who the Reform-Center coalition would like to nominate for the position. There are speculations that it could be outgoing prime minister Jüri Ratas as he plans on returning to the Riigikogu after his resignation on Wednesday morning. Ratas has previously held the position of Vice-President of the Riigikogu.
Ratas told ERR that since the elections will take place in March, his potential nomination for Riigikogu speaker has not yet been discussed, therefore he cannot say if he will run for the post or not.
The mandate for the Riigikogu board lasts for one year. MPs choose a new board each spring. The current board consists of Henn Põlluaas (president), Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa; first vice-president) and Siim Kallas (Reform; second vice-president).
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste