Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) submitted her resignation to the president on Monday morning. She has been nominated as the EU's High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Karis thanked Kallas, who led the government for three and a half years.

"It has been a time of crisis, with the coronation, the recession, and the war in Europe, when Russia's aggression in Ukraine shattered our security picture," the president said.

He announced he would start talks.

"The Reform Party, the current prime minister's Party, which has the largest parliamentary group in the country with 37 members after the elections, has nominated a candidate for a possible head of government. I would now like to hear the views of all the parliamentary parties on who they think can form a workable majority government, given the strengths of the Riiigikogu," Karis said.

"Estonia needs a government that governs and makes decisions that help to boost the economy, safeguard our security and thereby ensure the security and well-being of the Estonian people," he stressed.

Negotiations are already underway between Reform, SDE, Eesti 200 to continue the current power union. Kristen Michal is leading discussions having been nominated as the Reform Party's prime ministerial candidate.

A new government is likely to take office at the start of August.

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