Center: Coalition goes after Riigikogu committee chair after PM criticism

Although Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Keit Kasemets, Estonia's incoming state secretary, have been invited to the meeting of the Riigikogu Anti-Corruption Select Committee scheduled for Monday, the prime minister has indicated that he does not intend to attend. According to the Center Party, the coalition seeks to remove Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from her position as the committee chair.
The prime minister wrote on social media Monday that he does not plan to attend a meeting of the Riigikogu Anti-Corruption Select Committee over the appointment of Keit Kasemets as Estonia's next state secretary, which, according to the PM, would amount to facilitating the Center Party's "political circus."
"I read the news that the select committee wants to discuss issues related to the duties of the state secretary, among other things. The appointment is governed by Article 95 of the Constitution and Section 79 of the Government of the Republic Act. I will base my decisions on that," the head of government wrote.
"However, I will not spend my working hours participating in the Center Party's political circus, especially in light of new information that it was they who initiated the legal amendment in 2018, which they are now heroically beating the drum about, Michal stated.
He added that he is always available for the media if there is interest.
"Both the current and future state secretaries have been, and will continue to be, available to all editorial offices as well," Michal said.
The Riigikogu Anti-Corruption Select Committee aimed to discuss the transparency of the state secretary's appointment process and the role's independence during its Monday meeting. The discussion was prompted by a government-initiated bill approved by the Riigikogu in December, which eliminated the requirement for a law degree for the position. As a result, Keit Kasemets, who holds a degree in political science, is now eligible for the role.
According to committee chair and member of the opposition Center Party Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, it is necessary to verify whether political corruption might be at play — specifically, whether the legislative amendment was made to accommodate a single individual. She noted that the requirement for a legal education for the state secretary has so far been consistent with the nature of the role, which involves overseeing government legislation and ensuring constitutional compliance.
"The Constitution annotated emphasizes that the state secretary is obliged to refuse to sign if there is a conflict with the Constitution or laws. How can we be confident that a state secretary who lacks a legal education and is politically dependent on the prime minister will be able to manage this?" Kovalenko-Kõlvart asked.
Kovalenko-Kõlvart looking at removal

The chairman of the Center Party's Riigikogu faction, Lauri Laats, announced on Monday that, in addition to the prime minister's decision not to attend the meeting, the coalition intends to begin the process of removing Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from her position as chair of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee.
"Under the leadership of the Reform Party, the coalition is working to sideline the opposition in the Riigikogu. Kristen Michal is avoiding answering substantive questions about the new state secretary, and instead, there is an effort to remove Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from her position as committee chair. Because Kovalenko-Kõlvart's consistent and thorough work has caused significant headaches for the coalition, they are doing everything they can to strip her of her position," said Lauri Laats.
The Center Party MP reminded that, according to the good practice of the Riigikogu, the chairmanship of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee traditionally belongs to the opposition. In his view, the Reform Party's petty actions pose a threat to democracy.
Social Democrat Eduard Odinets, a member of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee, told Postimees that he was unaware of any plan to remove the committee chair. While he has been critical of Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart's work as chair, he acknowledged that the chairmanship traditionally belongs to the opposition, which had previously agreed that the position would go to the Center Party.
Kovalenko-Kõlvart stated that the committee chair can be removed if the deputy chair resigns, adding that Reform Party MP and committee deputy chair Eerik-Niiles Kross had looked into these procedures.
"Deputy chair Eerik-Niiles Kross asked the committee adviser how it would be possible to block the approval of the committee's work plan and expressed an interest in initiating a no-confidence motion against the chair or resigning from the deputy chair position, which would automatically trigger new leadership elections for the committee. Interestingly, after this information became public, Kross requested to be substituted at today's committee meeting and has avoided answering questions," claimed Kovalenko-Kõlvart.
Chair of the Reform Party's parliamentary faction, Õnne Pillak, described the situation as an example of deliberate misrepresentation by the Center Party.
"The Anti-Corruption Select Committee chairmanship is the opposition's responsibility and the coalition does not intervene in replacing the chair. Center Party MPs have also floated the idea of deputy chair Eerik-Niiles Kross resigning, which would trigger elections. After speaking with Kross, I can confirm that he has no intention of stepping down," Pillak said.
During Riigikogu Question Time last Wednesday, Kovalenko-Kõlvart asked the prime minister about Kasemets' rise to the position of state secretary. Specifically, the MP questioned the role Keit Kasemets played during summer coalition negotiations alongside Kristen Michal. Kovalenko-Kõlvart argued that "it was clearly not as a civil servant."
"It's hard to be stupid"
Michal, in his response, recalled the events of 2018 when Jüri Ratas was prime minister, and the Center Party, Isamaa, and the Social Democrats introduced a bill. The explanatory memorandum stated: "The provision in the Government of the Republic Act, which specifies that only a person with a legal education can serve as state secretary, will be repealed because the tasks and activities of the Government Office have changed significantly over the past 15 years and a legal education requirement is no longer necessarily essential for the position."
After concluding his remarks, Michal returned to his seat in the government's box and, speaking to himself but clearly audible through the microphone, said, "It's hard to be stupid, really."
At a government press conference on Thursday, Michal explained that the comment was directed at the Social Democratic Minister of Infrastructure, Vladimir Svet, but was not aimed at him personally, rather as a general observation. "It's hard to be stupid — that's just a general fact of life," Michal stated.
Michal added that he had received correspondence indicating that Riigikogu members felt offended by the remark. He offered an apology, acknowledging that language use should always be appropriate. He clarified that the comment was not intended as a criticism of the Riigikogu or any of its members, but rather in response to opposition criticism of the removal of the educational requirement for the state secretary position.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Center Party, Mihhail Kõlvart, announced that he would begin consultations with other parties to initiate a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michal. According to Kõlvart, Michal is undermining an independent state institution by paving the way for the appointment of Kasemets as state secretary of the Ministry of Climate. Kõlvart also characterized the developments as political corruption.

The article was updated to add comments from Eduard Odinets, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart and Õnne Pihlak.
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Editor: Urmet Kook, Marcus Turovski