Läänemets told ERR that: "I choose the candidates I will present to the coalition partners, and later to the Riigikogu and the government, based on my intuition."

The three state organizations due for new heads are the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), the Rescue Board (Päästeamet) and the Internal Security Service (ISS).

The competitive selection process applied to all senior civil servants is currently underway in respect of all three posts, Läänemets added, and the committee conducting this will present its recommendations to the minister in mid-September, after which he will meet with each of them.

There are likely to be multiple candidates for each post.

Minister Läänemets then makes his recommendations on individual appointments to the government.

The Riigikogu's legal affairs committee was due to be presented with the candidate for new ISS director on June 9, but the ejection from office of the Center Party just under a week earlier postponed this meeting. Then-interior minister, Kristian Jaani (Center) had reportedly picked Martin Purre for that post, along with Tauno Suurkivi as proposed new Rescue Board chief, and either Egert Belitšev or Kuno Tammearu for new PPA director.

ISS is currently headed up by Arnold Sinisalu, the PPA by Elmar Vaher and the Rescue Board by Kuno Tammearu.

All three directors' five-year terms are coming to an end.

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