As government ministers in Estonia do not sit at the Riigikogu, if MPs are appointed government ministers, their places must be taken by an alternate MP, based on an ordered list submitted by that party at the last Riigikogu election.

This time around, four former MPs are now government ministers: Karmen Joller and Andres Sutt from the Reform Party, and Igor Taro and Hendrik Johannes Terras from Eesti 200.

However, only three new MPs are needed, namely Toomas Järveoja (Reform), Diana Ingerainen, and Stig Rästa (both Eesti 200), since an existing Reform MP, Mati Raidma, will take the fourth seat.

This is because the recent "musical chairs" saw two former government ministers, Yoko Alender and Signe Riisalo, return to parliament. As a result, the alternate MPs who had taken their place will now have to vacate.

These are Hele Everaus and Raidma – but as noted, the latter is back as an alternate member for Sutt.

In other words, Raidma was previously deputizing for Riisalo and is now doing so in Sutt's place.

Järveoja, who has sat in the Riigikogu in the past, took his oath of office on Tuesday.

While Narva-Jõesuu Mayor Maksim Iljin and Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin were first in line to replace Taro and Terras for Eesti 200, they opted to retain their executive positions and so cannot become MPs as well, which is why Ingerainen and Rästa are taking their place as the next people on the list.

Ingerainen is a family doctor and Rästa a musician, who represented Estonia at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.

President Alar Karis appointed five new ministers on Monday: Terras as regional affairs minister, Taro as interior minister, Joller (social affairs minister), Sutt (energy and environment), and Kuldar Leis (Reform, infrastructure minister).

Leis was not a Riigikogu MP prior to being made a minister and so no change is needed there; in fact, he had most recently headed up the Tartu2024 European Capital of Culture program.

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