No-confidence motion prompted by minister's Crimea remarks fails at Riigikogu

A motion of no confidence against new infrastructure minister Vladimir Svet (SDE) failed to pass a Riigikogu vote Monday, with only 21 MPs voting in favor at the 101-seat legislature.
The motion was brought by opposition MPs and prompted by statements Svet made six years ago, in which he expressed ambiguous views on the status of Crimea.
Responding to the charge, Svet had conceded to the Riigikogu that his earlier comments had been poorly worded, and reiterated the stance that Crimea is part of Ukraine, and Russia's annexation of the region was illegal.
He stressed his contributions to supporting Ukraine, including establishing a refugee center and collaborating with Ukrainian diplomats and local governments.
The Riigikogu processed the no-confidence motion on Monday, during an extraordinary session.
Priit Lomp, chairman of the Social Democrat's (SDE) Riigikogu faction, dismissed the motion as a "ridiculous attempt destined to fail," asserting Svet's "unequivocal" support for Ukraine, including, when Tallunn deputy mayor, assisting Ukrainian refugees who fled to the capital, and Svet's condemnation of Russian aggression and of Vladimir Putin.
Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu had hit out at past comments of Svet's, stating it is unthinkable for someone who expressed ambivalence about Crimea's status to now be in the Estonian government.

Reinsalu had called for the removal Svet's nomination as a minister ahead of that nomination even being made public, but was reportedly told the nomination was an SDE demand.
Svet joined SDE from the Center Party on Sunday, July 21, the same day he was nominated infrastructure minister, a newly created post, and two days before the new coalition was sworn in.
He had made his remarks on Crimea prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2018, Svet told Vetšjorka, responding to a question: "I know what you want from me – you want black or white. I don't want to commit to that because the situation is much more complex and cannot be described by saying 'Crimea belongs to this' or 'Crimea belongs to someone else."
The Russian Federation annexed Crimea following an illegal referendum in 2014, the same year the shadow war in Donbas began. One of Russia's aims with its invasion from February 2022 was to set up a land bridge across southeastern Ukraine (Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts). Up to then occupied Crimea had been cut-off from Russia and had experienced drinking water shortages. It could only be reached by two Russian-built parallel bridges across the Kerch strait, opened 2018-2019. These have been hit by Ukraine several times following Russia's invasion.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte, Valner Väino