Papers: Helme matches Kallas in disregard of current controversy's severity
Estonia's major dailies have once again examined the fall-out from revelations that the husband of prime minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) had engaged in business activity connected with the Russian Federation, one of those papers, Postimees, reports – though the publications also pan the actions of a Riigikogu committee tasked with examining the controversy, and not only those of the prime minister herself.
In an editorial titled "Prime Minister Kallas Still Does Not Understand," daily Eesti Päevaleht (EPL) bemoans the premier's apparent inability to accept much culpability over the recent events, but also identifies how the episode has been seized upon by another patrician family, the Helmes, and its party, EKRE, in order to score political points, and not just by the Reform Party.
Indeed, business daily Ärpiäev also picked up on the phenomenon whereby Mart Helme, EKRE founder and chair of the anti-corruption committee Kallas appeared before earlier in the week, almost works to the prime minister's advantage by providing entertainment over substance, for instance with Helme's announcements over how intelligent and educated he says he is, during the course of the (recorded) hearing.
Postimees itself calls the saga an "Endless Groundhog Day" in its editorial, and noting that almost nothing new was gleaned at the committee sitting, with the prime minister in resolute mode, having no notes at her disposal and "missing" an opportunity to provide clear answers to the public.
The prime minister had also not been shy about blowing her own trumpet, in this case in respect of her former legal career, in which she said she earned many times the amount per month that the head of government's salary comes to, yet seemed not to have taken a lawyer's attention to detail with her into her current role.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Postimees, EPL, Äripäev
