In an interview given to daily Eesti Päevaleht (EPL), Kaljulaid, who was President of Estonia 2016-2021, said she will concentrate on journalistic work with the paper and its related portal, Delfi, in the run-up to the March 5 polls.

Kaljulaid said that there aren't may political parties that have not wanted to discuss a potential campaign with her in the elections, adding she has turned down all of these. 

"No, I will not run in the 2023 elections on the list of any political party or in any other way," Kaljulaid told EPL (link in Estonian).

On other future plans, the former president said that he intends to stand up for the people of Estonia, her own children and grandchildren and children and grandchildren of all other Estonian people in order to have the safest possible future.

"In that way you could say that I would be this type expert on the future of Estonia."

Kaljulaid added that until the elections, she will be involved in a project with EPL and Delfi, where she will help formulate the big questions facing Estonian society, doing so politically neutrally, while at the same time being supportive of political debate culture.

As to EPL journalist Joosep Tiks' assessment that this "sounded a bit like something from [rival publication] Postimees' "Meie Estonia", Kaljulaid replied: "This is a complex project. There are specific examples, there will be other people's opinions and thoughts, discussions with those who are experts in their fields and who I've been listening for five, or maybe even 20 years already. This versatile and hopefully interesting - but it also makes me think about the role of the state in relation to the people. What kind of state do we want?"

The project in question provides an opportunity for competing, different worldviews and ideas to be aired, she added.

The media had speculated that a potential Riigikogu elections run with Eesti 200 was on the cards for Kaljulaid, not least since two close colleagues both in work life and in worldview terms, namely her former advisers Tiit Riisalo and Taavi Linnamäe, have joined the Eesti 200 campaign team.

The original EPL piece (in Estonian) is here.

EPL and Delfi are part of the Ekspress Meedia group, which also publishes two weeklies, Maaleht and Eesti Ekspress, lifestyle magazine and portal Kroonika, and several other titles.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!