Daily: Former Center Party ministers taking break after shock job losses
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets and Minister of Interior Kristian Jaani suddenly lost their jobs on Friday when Prime Minister Kaja Kallas kicked the Center Party out of government. Both have said they will take a break before deciding what to do next, newspaper Postimees reported.
Both ministers found out they had lost their jobs by reading about events online.
Liimets, who was on an official visit to Canada at the time, asked the Estonian Ambassador to Canada to deputize for her and then set about finding a way home. Jaani was at the doctor's office.
The pair joined the government in 2021, with significant experience in their respective fields. Liimets is a former Ambassador to the Czech Republic and career diplomat, while Jaani was head of the Northern Prefecture of the Police and Border Guard Board. Neither are members of the Riigikogu.
Neither has ruled out a return to politics, they told the newspaper, but neither has employment prospects lined up already.
Jaani said he is taking each hour and day as it comes: "At the moment, I have to think about my future, how to move forward."
"I don't even remember when I was last unemployed," Liimets said.
Neither of them foresaw the collapse of the coalition and have not been given an explanation.
Jaani said he did not regret the opportunity: "Such an opportunity arises once in a lifetime," he said.
If the Center Party should manage to form another coalition then both ministers may get their old jobs back. But, for now, they are in line for redundancy payouts of €37,242, Postimees reported.
Reform Party ministers Kalle Laanet and Andres Sutt will replace the pair until a new coalition has formed.
Former Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik found out he had been redundant in the middle of a court appearance at former education minister Mailis Reps' trial.
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Editor: Helen Wright