Lauri Hussar re-elected as Riigikogu speaker
Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) will continue as President of the Riigikogu, following a vote Thursday in which he was the sole candidate.
A total of 97 MPs voted in the secret ballot held at the 101-seat Riigikogu Thursday morning.
Sixty-four voted in favor of Hussar returning as speaker, while 28 opposed. There were an additional five votes which were declared invalid.
Reform's Toomas Kivimägi was re-elected first vice president. Jüri Ratas (Isamaa) was also returned as second vice president, a role traditionally held by the opposition, beating EKRE's Arvo Aller in a secret ballot.
Kivimägi received 48 votes, Ratas 27 and Aller 21.
The election of the second deputy speaker was the only unknown element of the process as the opposition Isamaa, Center and EKRE parties had failed to agree on a common candidate.
The president of the Riigikogu and their two vice-presidents are responsible for managing the legislature's workflow and presiding over sessions, and as such are seen as highly influential positions.
This is particularly the case with the Riigikogu speaker, as the role includes the responsibility of deputizing for the head of state, should the President of the Republic be unavailable for any reason.
Collectively the three are known as the Board of the Riigikogu, and are elected to one-year terms, by a plenary session at the Riigikogu's main hall.
This article was updated to add the results of the vice presidents' votes.
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Editor: Urmet Kook, Andrew Whyte, Helen Wright