Did you really keep your promise to step down in mid-April if you coudln't get the things you wanted?

Today I can say that I achieved nearly everything in terms of the revenue base of local governments and launching a Rural Development Foundation (MES) measure. But I used up a lot of my energy stores and a number of other sources of energy in the process.

And since I'd already previously considered about it one way or another, thought long and hard about it, then, as promised, I'm making that decision today, and this was the decision.

What will you do next?

I'm going to assume my duties as Riigikogu MP, where I've never worked before. And for me, that means moving forward; I certainly don't want to say I'm moving back from anywhere. I definitely want to accomplish a lot serving as MP too.

It's also important to me that, as an MP elected from Saaremaa, I'll now definitely have the right and opportunity to spend more time at home and spend significantly more time with my family, which over the last two years as minister has been significantly more limited.

So it also has to do with feeling like you're just tired and would like to be together with your family more?

I'm definitely not tired in the typical sense. I very much liked my work – exactly the areas that very much suit me. And of course there are more topics that I'm excited about. I don't feel tired; rather, I feel like now is the right time.

The right time as well in terms of the fact that changeups are taking place in the Riigikogu too in connection with the departure of the [SDE] parliamentary group chair [Jevgeni Ossinovski], in connection with changes in Tallinn city leadership. All these things somehow happened to end up on the same exact day.

I already said a month ago that I would make this decision, and in this case, the fulfillment of certain work-related goals and the reorganization of the Riigikogu parliamentary group – it just seemed like the right time somehow. There's nothing terribly deep or complicated here. I think people have to make decisions like this too sometimes.

What I'm getting from your message is that you're eyeing the position of Social Democrats' whip.

No, I can't say that right now. That's to be discussed with the parliamentary group, evidently tomorrow. I'd say I haven't harbored that ambition right now because I've never actually worked a day in the Riigikogu, and a party whip should have that experience, at least a few months' worth, under their belt – which I do have as a minister, but not as MP.

Did you often experience those moments where you realized you were being railroaded? Fellow coalition members holding important ministerial portfolios – the finance ministry portfolio, the climate ministry portfolio – your wishes, whether that same finding more money for public transport, a solution to local government taxation issues – that you were actually railroaded, that you were defeated because you were in a weaker position?

If this interview were taking place maybe two weeks prior, when I had processes, so to speak, still ongoing – but actually last week we still managed to agree in great detail in the government regarding the way forward on local governments' revenue base. We reached an agreement on a clear direction for launching the MES' land capital measure. As well as several disputes that had been over smaller sums here, be it African swine fever (ASF) compensation or additional funding for the care reform.

All of these were actually agreed on, and perhaps they needed that dialogue and those heated arguments. But the reality is that the majority of these have obtained their result by now. Yes, public transport will now be left up to the new minister to bring to the government, but we've got the big-picture concept down, and I guess we'll see what these discussions will end up looking like over funding too.

I'm gonna ask again now, listening to you, I don't understand why you're resigning. When you've been able to accomplish your goals and you're leaving. The position of minister is still the top job in politics.

There are more smaller and bigger nuances involved here as well. Also very important for me is that eventually everyone helped get that glass full in the end.

I also haven't managed to reconcile two incompatible positions, involving family and children in Saaremaa and the office of minister in Tallinn. This is also one of the things where I see that nine months as minister of the environment and a year as regional affairs minister has in reality been very, very, very draining for me energy-wise to that extent.

I've spent every possible free moment I've had in Saaremaa, but if I can choose whether to spend more time with my family and get some things at the ministry squared away and done or continue alone here in Tallinn and in this position – that's another one of the arguments.

And because everything happened to coincide. Some things got done. In that sense I am happy to now join the Riigikogu to continue to push these matters there.

Secondly also the transition of power in Tallinn, which precipitated certain changes in the parliamentary group just now. And of course the very, very strong desire to be with my family – to a significantly greater extent than before. And as an MP elected from Saaremaa, I'll surely have a substantially greater right and more opportunities to spend time in Saaremaa – because as minister I still have to cover and stand for all of Estonia.

I also don't understand what connection the transition of power in Tallinn and the fact that Ossinovski is leaving the Riigikogu parliamentary group have with your resignation as minister. And yet you say you don't want to be [party] whip. What, then, is even the connection here?

For me, it's that I've always been a team player, and if an MP accepts a ministerial position, then that entails certain changes within the Riigikogu parliamentary group too. And in my case, if I've made some sort of decision, then that impacts some sort of chain, so to speak, along with it – be that advisers, be that Riigikogu alternate members – and in this case, my return to the Riigikogu won't in any way impact the makeup of our parliamentary group, or cause any changes there.

This is important to me too. That as a team player I'm still gonna make sure that my decision won't lead to any changes there.

Who would be a suitable successor for you?

We'll start discussing that within the board tonight. There will definitely be a brief gap now in the office of minister, as the Riigikogu is off next week. But I believe it will be someone who cares about regional and agricultural policy, and definitely someone who would implement and advance the issues that the Social Democrats as well as my team have been working on here at the ministry.

We're lucky to have these candidates in our party. This is definitely also one of the Social Democrats' strong suits.

When was [SDE chair] Lauri Läänemets made aware of your decision?

I think we talked about it a couple of weeks ago; I don't remember the exact date.

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