Timpson said that while he is in favor of taking away the local election voting right of Russian citizens in principle, he does not believe it possible before local government council elections in the fall of 2025.

The new justice minister said that ideally, it should be done by amending regular acts (the Municipal Council Election Act – ed.), while he doubts that's possible. "Going down that path is sure to end up in appeals court, and the ship will sail in the meantime," he said.

Going about it by amending the Constitution would require a majority of 81 votes in the 101-member Estonian parliament, whereas the process would need to be "quite urgent" at this point. "Rather, I believe we will not see it done, while the theoretical possibility is there," Timpson added.

"It makes for a moral issue for me. /.../ Citizens of the Russian Federation have had 30 years in which to apply for Estonian citizenship, and if they want to live here but do not want to integrate with the country, why should they get to vote? That is my personal opinion," he said.

Timpson in favor of closing small courthouses

Talking about the administration of courts reform, Timpson said that he supports giving courts more say in how to organize their work as well as the closing of smaller courthouses.

"In the broad strokes, I support giving the court system more autonomy and responsibility, the incoming minister said, adding that it would contribute to a more even and effective court system.

Asked how he feels about the Council for the Administration of Court's recommendation of closing small courthouses, like those in Põlva or Võru, Timpson said: "But why not?! Courts know better how these things should be handled. /.../ I believe we need to look at the effectiveness of the system through a different lens than how many courthouses we have."

Timpson said that administration of justice would not leave Põlva and Võru even if local courthouses were to be closed. "Justice would still be administered. I see no great concern here. Doctors commute to hospitals from Tartu and elsewhere. Why couldn't that work for courts?" he suggested.

Prioritization should not mean a part of crime goes unprocessed

Commenting on Prosecutor General Andres Parmas' guidelines from last year to assign higher and lower priorities to different types of crime, Timpson said that while prioritization isn't anything new, it must not mean that some crime goes unprocessed, even if resources are in short supply.

"Rule of law means processing everything – if grounds exist for criminal proceedings, they cannot be omitted. Hiding behind a shortage of resources clashes with my values," he emphasized.

Asked what the Prosecutor's Office should do when strapped for cash, Timpson said that there is never enough money to do everything. "Setting priorities is good and proper, but we cannot just say we won't deal with some matters – even though I'm not sure they put it quite like that."

Parmas' list of priorities included organized narcotics crime, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors and major economic crime. The secondary list had minor violent crime or cases where the victim recovers in four weeks, theft of less than €40,000, minor fraud etc.

Timpson also said he is willing to consider narrowing the scope of criminal proceedings which would classify violations that currently constitute crimes as misdemeanors instead.

Commenting on the falling out of his predecessor Kalle Laanet and Prosecutor General Andres Parmas, Timpson said that he will await the results of supervisory proceedings at the Prosecutor's Office ordered by Laanet and discuss these issues with Parmas.

Doubts effectiveness of Robin Hood tax changes

Madis Timpson said that he is hesitant regarding Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas' (SDE) plan to redistribute local governments' revenue to give poorer municipalities more money (a so-called Robin Hood tax – ed.).

Kallas wants to give local governments a bigger share of income tax revenue on pensions while reducing their share in general income tax receipt, which would redistribute funds from wealthier municipalities to less fortunate ones.

"It's a double-edged sword. /.../ We have two regions seeing population growth – the near vicinity of Tallinn and that of Tartu. The other municipalities are not doing too well and have rapid population ageing. I crunched the numbers and found that Viljandi would benefit slightly from Madis Kallas' plan," Timpson said but added that redistributing poverty is not a solution anyone is completely satisfied with. "For me, it's a cosmetic change, but one that raises quite a storm," he said.

Backs a tourism tax in Viljandi

Timpson, who served as mayor of Viljandi before being offered the ministerial posting, said that he is in favor of laying down a tourism tax in the city.

"I can honestly say that I support it. We could have a modest tax in Viljandi, revenue from which could be used to promote the city. /.../ I'd say we have plenty to be proud of – sports facilities that surround the lake are full to the brim in summer months so there's a shortage of accommodation," he said.

President Alar Karis on Monday released from office Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet and appointed Timpson the new justice minister.

Timpson said that he wrote a letter to resign as mayor of Viljandi on Monday and can assume office as minister once he is sworn in in the Riigikogu on April 1.

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