Kaljurand made her remarks to ETV politics show "Esimene stuudio," and said that the campaigning season had been unfair as a result, and not only against her party.

Kaljurand, a former diplomat, picked up over 45,000 votes, and though this is tens of thousands of votes fewer than she received at the 2019 election, it still makes her the most-supported candidate.

She put the fall in votes down to some of her party colleagues running strong campaigns too, as well as due to personal attacks from candidates of other parties.

She inquired: "I think some voters believed that if they voted for me, there would be a car tax. Now I ask in return, Isamaa won, so does that mean the car tax is off the table?"

The MEP did not consider this election campaign entirely fair, as a consequence of personal attacks against herself and others.

"I believe every politician has an ethical boundary of what they consider acceptable and what is crossing the line. For me, the personal attacks against both me and Urmas Paet (Reform) were crossing the line," Kaljurand said.

"I could have said something about [Isamaa MEPs] Gen. Riho Terras or about Jüri Ratas, but I did not and will not."

"I believe a campaign should focus on what I am doing. But to literally lie in saying if you vote for Kaljurand, you will be hit with a car tax, if you vote for Kaljurand, pensions will be cut down – these are out-and-out lies. This is a line which I will never cross, and so I do not consider this contest completely fair," she explained," Kaljurand went on.

Jüri Ratas proved Isamaa's most voted for candidate and also stood out for his extensive social media campaign, which included plenty of pictures of him exercising, attending an Estonian national football team match, and even included the family dog at one point.

Kaljurand acknowledged this campaign's impact but remained critical of the approach, likening it to a cheapening of the democratic process.

She said: "I do not envy those politicians who will compete at future elections, be they local or to the Riigikogu."

"If the new standard is that a former prime minister must boost their credibility and garner votes by lifting up a dog, taking selfies of them kissing their spouse etc.,then I feel sorry for those politicians who also have to partake in such antics to gain popularity. I believe this campaign was 'groundbreaking' in that sense," she said.

"Should social media be pressed into use? Of course. I also use social media. I have posted pictures of my dogs and my flowers. But the difference may lie in the type of posts you make, whether — apologies to Jüri — you go 'vulgar,' or what you find funny versus what others do not," she added.

Kaljurand said she remains curious whether Ratas's success with Isamaa, which he joined earlier on this year, will continue and what he might accomplish at the European Parliament.

Ratas had previously been leader of the Center Party.

"It was a trifle strange to see a person who, a few years ago, defended the agreement with United Russia, supported Jana Toom last year, and fought against Estonian-language schooling, now make such a radical transformation," Kaljurand, former Estonian ambassador to Moscow, went on.

"I hope it is sincere, and I hope this transformation is genuine. He did manage to convincingly prove himself to the voters. So, we'll see if this is a one-off, exceptional success or if it will continue in the future. I, of course, look forward with interest to seeing what Jüri Ratas will do at the European Parliament, as he made many promises on how he will boost the Estonian economy and what he will do there off the back of his prime ministerial experience," Kaljurand added.

Kaljurand: Far right in Europe lack coordination

The European far right increased its share of European Parliament seats slightly at the election. According to Kaljurand, the overall picture remains similar to the previous composition, however, though individual issues may see changes.

"When it comes to specific issues, we already see some right-wingers wanting to dismantle the migration pact, others saying the green transition must be stopped, if not ended. There are indeed specific issues, and today I do not rule out that the Commission president may look more to the right if she sees she cannot fully agree with us or do as the Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals wish," Kaljurand explained.

Kaljurand believes the right-wing's influence in the European Parliament may be diminished by their lack of coordination.

"The far right has this special ability to not be able to agree among themselves. They have not yet managed to create a unified force, they have different views on Russia, different views on Ukraine. I understand that even Jaak Madison (EKRE) is currently hesitating which faction to join."

"This could be a lifeline if the far right cannot agree among themselves. But much will also depend on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whether her recent 'flirtation' with the Italian prime minister is a longer relationship just a flirtation to irritate the Social Democrats and Liberals. I think we will get answers when von der Leyen comes before the faction and we can ask these questions," Kaljurand continued.

Current budget does not stimulate European economy

Kaljurand said she hopes that the newly elected European Parliament and Commission will address multiple issues simultaneously, including making the EU attractive to investors once again.

She said: "Throughout the campaign in Estonia and other countries, the focus was on one or two topics. For some, it was immigration, for others security, for still others the green transition. We cannot focus on one topic at a time."

"We cannot end the war in Ukraine with a Ukrainian victory and set everything else aside, and then come back to these issues. They need to be addressed simultaneously," the MEP continued.

"They need to be addressed during the formation of the next budget because, with the current budget, the European Union cannot stimulate the economy, cannot revive the defense industry. Additional investments are needed, and attitudes need to change. Investing in the EU must become attractive again."

"As the financial experts say, the money has not gone anywhere but European investors today prefer to invest in the U.S. and elsewhere. This means the single market must emerge from its coma and start actually functioning as a single market. State aid rules need to be reviewed, additional investments are needed, and then we can talk about economic growth," Kaljurand concluded.

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