Reinsalu, a former foreign minister, was running unopposed, and polled at 931 votes out of 1,046.

He was first elected party chair two years ago.

Elections to Isamaa's board were also held Saturday, with 26 party members running for the 20 available seats.

These included former prime minister and current MEP Jüri Ratas, ministers Lea Danilson-Järg, Kristjan Järvan, Tõnis Lukas and Riina Solman and former party leader Helir-Valdor Seeder. All of these were reelected to the board.

Members of the previous board who did not seek reelection included MEP Riho Terras.

The assembly also saw elections to a new court of honor and audit committee take place.

Former minister and key figure in the drive towards the restoration of Estonian independence Lagle Parek was elected honorary chair of Isamaa.

Isamaa announced on Saturday that it plans to run lists in virtually all of Estonia's 79 municipalities at this October's local elections, and with with a special focus on Ida-Viru County.

The party said it also aims to prioritize its party list over electoral alliances.

Speaking at the general assembly and ahead of the vote, Reinsalu said that Estonia is facing a deepening crisis of trust, adding that new Riigikogu elections are needed to overcome it.

On security, Reinsalu said fundamental changes are underway in the international order, and that military power is increasingly becoming the defining factor in the global balance of power.

"National defense is now a task facing all of Europe," he said. "The neglect of an entire generation must be made up for. Europe's number one task is not the green transition, but the defense of freedom."

Reinsalu stressed that Europe's military defense should be the top priority for the next EU funding period, arguing that defense costs should be jointly funded by the EU as a true test of solidarity, since air defense systems in border countries protect all member states.

The Isamaa chair in his speech also connected the crisis of trust to security, urging a constitutional amendment to allow snap elections and criticizing the government for neglecting population policy and economic competitiveness, while calling for policies that support parents and protect lower-income individuals.

Isamaa convenes its general assembly once every two years.

Editor's note: This article was updated to include the results of Saturday's election at Isamaa's general assembly.

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