The MP, Lauri Laats, took the motion, signed by 29 deputies in total, to the Riigikogu on Wednesday.

The signatories argued that Jürgen Ligi's statements have debased the Riigikogu as an institution, and brought down the reputation of its members as a whole.

The motion states that Minister Ligi struggled to answer substantive questions put to him at the Riigikogu during the first reading of the 2025 state budget last week.

This, the signatories said, demonstrates his incompetence, a deficiency he compensated for via vague remarks and insults.

The minister also lacks a complete understanding of public finances and is therefore unfit for his position, the motion goes on.

The minister crossed the bounds of good taste by repeatedly belittling woman MPs, from various parties, dismissing their questions about the state budget as "nagging," and referring more broadly to MPs as "liars."

This, proponents of the motion say, amounts to nothing less than gender discrimination, while Ligi's condescending behavior undermines public trust in the Riigikogu, the government, and politicians in general, the signatories argue.

They also note that Ligi's statement that the Riigikogu's role in the state budget process should be diminished is unconstitutional, as it disregards the principle of the separation of powers – between the executive, legislature (ie. the Riigikogu), and, by implication, the judiciary.

Taking all this on board, the 29 signatories to the no-confidence motion stated they have no faith that the minister is either willing or able to disburse the duties his office requires, nor able to keep the pledges he has made.

Government ministers do not sit at the Riigikogu but appear regularly there, including to answer questions to committees and to MPs – as Ligi had been doing here.

The 2025 state budget in any case passed its first reading, of three, last week.

Laats, who is Center's faction leader at the Riigikogu, said Tuesday the motion was ready and had, at that time, 28 signatures, but he declined at that point in time to share its contents with ERR.

Leading members of the other two main opposition parties, Isamaa and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), had also voiced most of the same criticisms of Ligi.

The motion would need a clear majority to pass a vote. Since the Reform-SDE-Eesti 200 coalition has 65 seats at the 101-seat chamber, this would require coalition MPs– in addition to all opposition MPs – to vote in favor of the motion.

Jürgen Ligi became finance minister with the entry into office of the second Reform-SDE-Eesti 200 coalition but had served in the role before, for several years, around a decade ago.

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