President Karis meets with new ministerial candidates

President Alar Karis met with ministerial candidates of Kaja Kallas' (Reform) second government in Kadriorg on Sunday to hear about plans for the next eight months.
The president hopes that the incoming coalition can operate without hiccups and that Estonia will get a functional government able to make decisions necessary to alleviate tensions caused by various crises.
"All incoming ministers are confident, know what they want to achieve and believe they have the support of officials and the entire cabinet," President Karis said.
"I met with people sporting different experience and worldviews who need to be united in their desire to make Estonia a better place and life more secure for the people living here. The new ministers do not have 100 days to grow into political leaders in their roles and must come together as a coherent team in a much shorter time," he suggested.
"This government will not have long in office, while the problems it faces are much more serious than usual, with several decisions needed urgently and their effects possibly manifesting over decades," Karis said. "National security and people's subsistence are keywords the importance of which every ministerial candidate understands."
"The coalition has distributed ministerial postings equitably that should see different political views enrich as opposed to divide the government in tackling various daily tasks," the president went on to say.
The president spoke with two incoming ministers over the phone as they are traveling and is set to meet them Monday evening.
President Karis on Thursday accepted PM Kaja Kallas' resignation and asked her to form a new government.
The Reform Party's ministerial candidates are Kaja Kallas for prime minister, Hanno Pevkur for defense minister, Urmas Kruuse for rural affairs ministers, Keit Pentus-Rosimannus for finance minister and Signe Riisalo for social protection minister.
Isamaa will see Kristjan Järvan take up the post of entrepreneurship and IT minister, Tõnis Lukas education and research minister, Lea Danilson-Järg justice minister, Riina Solman public administration minister and Urmas Reinsalu foreign minister.
The ministerial candidates for the Social Democratic Party (SDE) are Madis Kallas for environment minister, Piret Hartmann for culture minister, Riina Sikkut for economy and infrastructure minister, Lauri Läänemets interior minister and Peep Peterson health and labor minister.
The president is set to appoint the government at 2 p.m. on Monday, with the ministers taking their oath of office in front of the Riigikogu at 3 p.m.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski