"Aivar Kokk was elected committee chair with five votes in favor and Jaak Aab its deputy chairman with three," the Riigikogu press service said.

Center MP Aab was Estonia's minister of public administration until last Friday before being dismissed alongside all other Center Party ministers by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform).

The extraordinary committee chairman election was held after the powers of recent chair Andrei Korobeinik expired. Korobeinik was forced to leave the parliament to make room for returning Center MPs.

Kokk told ERR that he ran against Center's Jaak Aab. He emphasized that the result suggests nothing in terms of a new coalition. "Definitely not," he said when prompted.

Kokk also said MPs from four parties took part in the vote, with the two Reform MPs present abstaining from voting and one absent.

The committee is made up of 11 delegates.

The Riigikogu Finance Committee is comprised of Jürgen Ligi, Aivar Sõerd and Ivi Eenmaa for the Reform Party; Riina Sikkut for SDE; Aivar Kokk (Isamaa); Jaak Aab, Kersti Sarapuu, Dmitri Dmitrijev for the Center Party; Rene Kokk and Urmas Reitlemann for the Conservative People's Party; and independent Martin Repinski.

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