"This is bad politics, what the prime minister is doing. The state secretary has [always] been an apolitical senior civil servant," Reinsalu wrote on social media.

"Taimar Peterkop's mandate was reportedly extended for another five years from December 2023, a move also justified at the time by the need for continuity during a challenging security situation. In the summer of 2024, the secretary of state unexpectedly announced that he would be leaving his post at the end of the year before the end of his mandate. At the same time, Keit Kasemets began taking part in coalition negotiations on the invitation of Kristen Michal, who took a leave of absence. After that, the coalition initiated an amendment to the Government of the Republic Act to allow Keit Kasemets, who does not have a law degree, to become state secretary," Reinsalu said.

"The press already covered this last summer, then the coalition's representatives kicked up a fuss, asserted that the amendment was not a one-man show and that they knew nothing about Keit Kasemets' possible candidacy. Now it has turned out that this was not the case," he added.

Reinsalu said the case sets two bad precedents. "The Prime Minister's style of behavior politicizes the position of Estonian Secretary of State. Secondly, we have gone back to a time when laws are changed for the sake of one person," Reinsalu said.

"I feel sorry for Keit Kasemets because of the situation the Prime Minister has put him in," Reinsalu said.

Reinsalu added that it is not appropriate to undermine the credibility of the state at such a critical time with actions like this one.

"The overall picture is bad: the incumbent secretary of state was offered the opportunity to resign by the new head of government, but within a time frame that allows time to change the law for a new candidate. At the same time, the prime minister insisted that the new candidate be involved in coalition negotiations to agree the political agenda of the current government. The secretary of state's role to exercise legal oversight over the government's actions. This is nihilistic behavior," Reinsalu said.

Another member of the other opposition, Center Party MP Jaak Madison, was also critical of the move.

"[It's] political corruption Estonian style – if the prime minister needs a friend to get the right post (of state secretary) then first change the law so as to remove the requirement to have a law degree (because if that friend is still state secretary, what does he need to know about the roots of it) and then put him in office. Post-Sovietism," Madison wrote on social media.

Kovalenko-Kõlvart: Reform folloiwng Hungarian precedent with Kasemets

Deputy chair of the Riigikogu's Legal Affairs Committee Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart (Center) said that the law amended at the behest of the Reform Party, which will enable Keit Kasemets to become state secretary sets a dangerous precedent and will lay the foundations for a new political culture.

"The Reform Party had the law changed simply to make Keit Kasemets, who has no education, secretary of state and politicize a top post. Prime Minister Kristen Michal's claim that the state secretary is no longer a lawyer but a manager is not true, because no change has been made to the law in that respect. The law continues to state that the role of the secretary of state is to scrutinize the constitutionality of draft bills. The prime minister's talk is hypocritical, he simply wanted to appoint as state secretary a person who helped him  in the coalition talks," Kovalenko-Kõlvart said.

According to Kovalenko-Kõlvart, the principle that top posts are apolitical has prevailed in Estonia until now. However, the current government is breaking this trend at the behest of the Reform Party.

"The role of the civil service is, among other things, to provide balance to politics – to ensure stability, consistency in the running of the state and critical thinking as well as to have the courage to voice that criticism. Now, unfortunately, there is a desire to undermine this continuity. In recent years, Hungary has made a series of legislative changes, adapting the requirements of the civil service to meet the wishes of the ruling party. And what is the result? As a result, society's trust in state institutions has fallen drastically," she said.

Taimar Peterkop, who has served as secretary of state since December 2018, is set to leave the role in February. Prime Minister Kristen Michal has pledged to nominate Keit Kasemets to replace him.

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