Speaking to "Aktuaalne kaamera" late on Sunday night following the announcement from the sitting president, Kaju said that Democratic Party pressure from within for Biden to withdraw his from the race has been rising daily.

Kaju said: "The reason for this was mainly his poor performance in the TV debate with former President Donald Trump."

"Bearing in mind the debate was one Biden himself wanted, the result left a very poor impression. His efforts in the following days and weeks to quell the skepticism within the party led to nothing," Kaju continued.

The pressure from influential leading party members, donors, ie. campaign financiers, and, ultimately, both the centrist and left-leaning media, had been only growing. It has to be said that his decision to step down is likely the result of this pressure," the expert went on.

What happens next for the Democrats and their campaign is still unclear, according to Kaju.

"We are entering a period of great uncertainty, as events like this quite rare. Really, Democratic voters in the states had already cast their primary votes in favor of Joe Biden, while the national convention next month was supposed to be a mere formality on confirm he was running. Now the state delegates will actually have to convene to select a new candidate," Kaju went on.

As to the replacement, Kaju said that it is not inevitable that this will be current Vice President Kamala Harris.

"The favorite is certainly Kamala Harris, the current vice president and former prosecutor from California, but there may be others in the running. Much will depend on what Biden and his current administration think—whether they will favor her candidacy or if it will result in an open convention, with some competing candidates," Kaju added.

At the same time, Biden has already announced his support for current Vice President Harris to run, while Harris herself has pledged to win the nomination.

Stoicescu: Biden's decision may have come too late

Eesti 200 MP and Chair of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee Kalev Stoicescu told ERR Sunday evening that it was only a matter of time before Biden decided not to run for re-election, as he had hinted at this likelihood following last Sunday's assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

Biden had cited his own health situation following the shooting.

Stoicescu said: "Biden's decision is undoubtedly a sensible one under the circumstances, but it is very likely that it may have come massively too late."

"The Democratic Party National Convention is to take place on August 19 in Chicago, in the key state of Illinois, and where the party's presidential candidate will be selected. However, from that point on, there will be only 78 days left until the presidential election itself. This is a very short time-frame in which to run a proper election campaign," Stoicescu continued.

"It can be assumed that the Democrats will present their front-runner sooner, so that the name can resonate and become established ahead of the party convention. It is hard to speculate whether that candidate will be the current Vice President Kamala Harris, or a Democratic governor or senator from some state," he went on.

The important thing is that the Democrats' front-runner should be intelligent and persuasive, and so capable of forcefully opposing Trump. It's hard to say if Trump's chances have now risen, but they certainly haven't diminished," he added.

President Biden had been suffering from Covid in recent days on top of concerns about his health and well-being starting well before campaign season.

The last time a sitting president eligible for another term stood down so close to an election came in 1968, when Lyndon B. Johnson (D) did just that – though much earlier in the year, in late March. The Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago that year also.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!