"Dear people of Estonia, as head of state, I wish you a happy Victory Day and a joyful Midsummer Eve for the last time," Karis said in his speech in Rapla on Tuesday morning.

The president's term ends this autumn, and Karis had promised to confirm around Midsummer whether or not he intended to run again.

Speaking to ERR after the speech, he said: "This decision was not made today, or a month ago, or even a couple of years ago. The question was always when to make this decision public so that it would not interfere with day-to-day work."

Karis said that he decided not to run for personal reasons. "Certainly one reason is also that when I took office, I promised my family that it would be one term," the president added.

Asked what he would remember most from his term, Karis replied: "I think the meetings with people are what will stay with me. I am very grateful for the high level of trust that the people of Estonia have given me, and certainly also to those politicians who were ready to stand behind me if I had decided to run."

Asked if he had any advice for his successor, the head of state said: "Inner peace may be even more important than worrying about an external enemy."

"Today we saw that there are many young people here, and older ones too, who are ready to defend our country or rather to prevent anyone from wanting to attack us at all. If we can remain calm at home and be courteous to one another, listen to the other person and understand them, then I think things become a little easier," Karis said.

Estonia's head of state is elected by the parliament, not directly by the people, and it has been widely discussed that Karis would not have enough support to win another term.

The Riigikogu will convene to elect the president on September 2.

It is not yet known who the candidates will be; only EKRE's Mart Helme, a former minister of the interior, has put himself forward for the role.

Party leaders expect new negotiations

Isamaa chairman Urmas Reinsalu said on Tuesday that in a crisis of trust, the governing parties did not want to support a president who had public backing. "Their reason was that Alar Karis was too independent," he noted.

Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart also blamed the ruling parties for Karis's decision not to continue.

"Political maneuvers woven by ruling parties with less than 15 percent support have created a situation where a president with 70 percent public backing has decided not to remain in office. The president certainly has valid reasons for this, but it is undeniably sad news for all of Estonia," Kõlvart said in social media.

The president must be a unifying figure and a representative of the people, added Kõlvart.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that the president made a long‑awaited decision and Reform party is ready to work with other political forces to find common ground so Estonia can have a strong president.

"The candidate must have a clear foreign and security policy line and must be able to unite the people of Estonia," he added.

"I am calling on all political forces to step out of their political trenches for a moment and look beyond day‑to‑day politics. We should look for the best candidate in late June and throughout July, someone who would have the broadest possible support," the prime minister said.

Social Democrats chairman Lauri Läänemets said that parties have the chance to move forward after the president's decision and open new negotiations. "The governing coalition should call together party representatives in the near future to restart consultations actively." 

This article was updated to add comments from President Alar Karis and political party leaders.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!