Vaga, who is also the party's secretary general, was discharged from hospital during the night.

Around 11 minutes into Wednesday evening's live "Esimene stuudio" debate on defense spending, which Vaga was taking part in, the MP had taken a seat rather than standing and became slower in speech. A few minutes later, he had departed the studio and show host Andres Kuusk announced: "Dear viewers, just to let you know, we have a medical emergency on air. Hopefully everything is all right, but we will try to continue with the program."

Peep Kala, editor‑in‑chief of ETV's current affairs content, said after an examination by paramedics, Vaga was taken to an ER for further tests.

Reform Party spokesperson Sander Andla told ERR Thursday morning that Vaga had been released from hospital at some point during the night following the tests, and was permitted to return home.

Kala noted his absence from the show, which representatives of all the other major parties took part in, means a solution is being sought to provide Reform with the right to reply.

"It is unfortunate that due to Kristo Enn Vaga's medical emergency, the Reform Party was unable to defend itself against the opposition's attacks on the program," Kala said.

"We are considering how the Reform Party will be able to present its counterarguments," he added. Vaga's departure left MP Peeter Tali (Eesti 200) as the sole coalition representative taking part in the debate versus the leaders of all four opposition parties.

Kala later said the "Esimene stuudio" production team will be drawing lessons from what happened.

"We believe it is important to discuss yesterday's events calmly among ourselves. We did so immediately after the show and will continue today. One of the questions we are examining is whether the program should have been paused to give the guests, hosts and viewers a moment," Kala stated.

"We understand that yesterday's live broadcast was alarming to viewers, and we need to take that into account when making decisions, even if the situation in the studio provides grounds for continuing the program," he went on.

Production team: Live TV demanding, guests' well-being always important

Live television is a demanding format in which decisions have to be made on the fly, the production team noted; viewers see only a portion of what happens, meaning only what is in front of the camera.

After noting Vaga visibly seemed to be feeling unwell, members of the production team in studio discussed with the politician himself whether to continue the show and his participation, the production team noted.

No one involved in the program is indifferent to the well-being of its guests and personnel responded promptly on Wednesday, the team noted.

Kuusk briefly left his presenter's mark during the incident and co-host Liisu Lass continued with the debate moderation.

Vaga, 29, has been a Reform Party member since 2017 and previously served as its youth wing leader. He was campaign manager at the 2023 Riigikogu election, which he also ran in, polling at a little under 600 votes. He clinched a seat via compensation mandate, which under Estonia's d'Hondt electoral system involves excess votes being distributed from candidates already confirmed in a mandate to those lower down on the list. He became Reform's secretary general in November last year.

A top cyclist, Vaga in spring 2024 cycled the roughly 1,700 kilometers from Tallinn to Kyiv, as part of a fundraiser for Ukraine. As a politician he has promoted an active and healthy lifestyle for all. ERR wishes Vaga well.

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