Aller, who was elected second vice-president of the Riigikogu in mid-July, said he decided to hire Helme as an assistant because the Fall Session of the Riigikogu was about to begin, he had to find people, and Eeva Helme had the time.

No public competition was held for the job, as it is a party-related position, Aller explained.

Asked how much Eeva Helme being the wife of party leader Martin Helme and sharing his last name influenced his choice, Aller declined to say directly.

"If the last name had been Frosch, Põlluaas or Valge, that would have raised questions," he acknowledged, referring to ex-EKRE members who recently founded a new party, the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK). "But in Helme's case, there were none."

Eeva Helme will mainly be assisting Aller with media-related matters. "The main focus will be the media and the social side of things," he confirmed. "Whether that's increasing the visibility of the Riigikogu vice-president or looking up records."

According to Aller, Eeva Helme worked as an information officer prior to joining the Riigikogu payroll, and has the necessary competencies for media work. He was unable to say exactly what her monthly salary would be, but noted that the full-time salary would be less than €2,000 per month.

During her first week, Eeva Helme has been physically present at the Riigikogu, but she also has the option for remote work, the second vice-president said. "There's no need to just sit here; what matters to us is that the work gets done," he added.

This isn't the first time in Estonia that a party leader's spouse or partner has served as an adviser to a fellow party member. Reform Party chair and Prime Minister Kristen Michal's partner Evelin Oras, for example, is currently working as an adviser to Minister of Economic Affairs Erkki Keldo (Reform).

Previously, Oras had served as adviser to Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev, and she has also worked as an adviser in the Ministry of Rural Affairs under the leadership of Urmas Kruuse – both likewise members of the Reform Party.

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