Economy minister: I will continue in office
Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Taavi Aas (Center) told ERR that the Center Party did discuss his return to the Riigikogu, while it has now been decided he will continue in his post.
"I will be staying on as things stand and can tell you there was no concrete plan [to replace Aas as minister this week]. That said, different options have been on the table. But there was not a concrete plan to replace me," Aas told ERR on Thursday.
Asked whether the rumors were false, Aas said that different options have been discussed.
"But there was never a ready-made plan. One option was whether I could return to the Riigikogu. However, there have been such debates inside the party in the past and will be again. It is all completely normal," the minister said.
ERR News reported on March 12 that the Center Party is mulling replacing the economy minister based on anonymous admissions by several Center politicians.
One reason for recalling Aas was the desire of party leaders to replace Center MP Oudekki Loone. A high-ranking Center politician told ERR that Loone's conduct on the backdrop of Russia's aggression [in Ukraine] is a clear sign she needs to be forced to leave the Riigikogu before May 9.
Loone voted in favor of bills to ban symbols of aggression and classify Russian actions in Ukraine as genocide on Thursday.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski