At the government press conference on Thursday, Kristen Michal explained that his remark was meant for the ears of Social Democratic Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet, but not personally. Rather, it was intended as a general observation. "It's hard to be stupid; that's just a general fact of life," Michal said.

"I have received a letter indicating that members of the Riigikogu feel offended by this. I certainly apologize, as I believe that language should always be appropriate," Michal stated.

He added that his comment was not meant to target the Riigikogu or any of its members but was instead a reaction to opposition criticism of the decision to remove the educational requirement for the state secretary position.

"The Center Party faction has been sending letters and appearing on broadcasts to argue that removing the requirement for a legal education for the state secretary is unprecedented, unseemly and something that should not happen in Estonia," Michal remarked.

"And this is exactly why I felt that it's hard to be stupid. It turns out that a similar bill was submitted to the Riigikogu in 2018. It was proposed by Jüri Ratas' (then Center — ed.) government, which included Isamaa and the Social Democrats. The justice minister at the time was the capable Urmas Reinsalu, a master of all trades, and the finance minister was Toomas Tõniste," Michal said.

"The explanatory memorandum for the bill states the same thing: the regulation in the Government of the Republic Act, which stipulates that only a person with a legal higher education can serve as the state secretary, will be repealed," Michal added.

What happened during Question Time Wednesday?

During Wednesday's Riigikogu Question Time, Center Party MP Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart posed a question to the prime minister regarding Keit Kasemets, who is set to become the new state secretary after changes to the position's educational requirements were implemented last December. Kovalenko-Kõlvart specifically asked what role Kasemets had played during summer coalition negotiations with Prime Minister Kristen Michal, adding that "it is obvious he did not participate as a civil servant."

Michal responded by stating that Kasemets, then-secretary general of the Ministry of Climate, along with Sven Kirsipuu, deputy secretary general for fiscal policy at the Ministry of Finance, and several other officials, did indeed participate in coalition negotiations.

"The fact that a civil servant is present at such discussions does not imply political party membership. Perhaps that is how it works in the Center Party's worldview, but in other contexts, it does not," Michal remarked with irony.

Michal then recalled events from 2018, when Jüri Ratas was prime minister and the Center Party, Isamaa and the Social Democrats proposed a bill. The explanatory memorandum for that bill stated: "The regulation in the Government of the Republic Act, which stipulates that only a person with a legal higher education can serve as the state secretary, will be repealed because the tasks and activities of the Government Office have significantly changed over the past 15 years and a legal education requirement is no longer necessarily needed for the role."

After completing his response, Michal returned to the government bench and added, audibly but seemingly to himself: "It really is hard to be stupid."

Center whip sends protest letter

The prime minister's remark provoked a strong reaction from Lauri Laats, chair of the Center Party's Riigikogu faction, who sent an open letter to Michal demanding a public apology during the next Riigikogu session.

"I am certain that as one of Estonia's most prominent politicians and as the prime minister, your actions are observed by tens of thousands of people, including many young people. It deeply saddens me that your behavior sets an example where insulting others is deemed acceptable," Laats wrote.

"What's more, the ministers sitting beside you, Keldo and Svet, laughed heartily upon hearing their boss insult a female politician. Perhaps belittling women is simply the style of your government, or perhaps you are such a domineering leader that your colleagues in the government, as well as the speaker of the Riigikogu, dare not intervene or call you out. However, I dare to do so and believe that the least you can do is to publicly apologize for your behavior at the next Riigikogu session," Laats stated.

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