SDE leader Lauri Läänemets confirmed that Kaljurand, who ran in the same electoral district (Harju and Rapla counties) in the previous Riigikogu elections in 2023, wlll not be running this time around, and outgoing Foreign Ministry Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov will take her place as a candidate.

"We have indeed taken Marina Kaljurand's wishes into account, as she has said that she will not be taking part in the Riigikogu elections this time," Läänemets said.

Kaljurand had said in an interview with ERR in April this year that she did not see herself continuing in politics after her current mandate at the European Parliament ends. Kaljurand, a former foreign minister and ambassador to both Russia and the United States, has been an MEP since 2019.

"As for the Harju and Rapla counties electoral district, that is where the prime ministerial candidate usually runs. If the party council confirms Jonatan Vseviov as its candidate for prime minister this Sunday, then naturally Jonatan Vseviov will also be at the top of the list in that electoral district," Läänemets said.

"And this also fits with the logic of having the prime ministerial candidate run in Harju and Rapla counties, so we will not have to make choices there, but can go into the elections with strong candidates competing against one another," Läänemets went on.

SDE is known for frequently placing its leading candidates at the bottom of its national list, even though this has backfired on the party on several occasions — for example, it led to former Riigikogu Speaker Eiki Nestor leaving politics.

Estonia's modified d'Hondt system means parties can position prominent names to maximize their share of compensation mandates – where candidates lower down on a list receive the excess votes from higher profile candidates who have already won a seat. With a higher profile candidate lower on a list, this cannot happen, however.

"The same procedure still applies in our party. The national list is discussed by the party's board, but this is the very last stage in the process of drawing up the electoral lists. This means we will get to that sometime around the beginning of January," Läänemets said.

Läänemets acknowledged that the Nestor case was not the party's greatest success, but said the system, established 15 years ago, has generally served the party by making candidates work harder and giving more people a chance of entering parliament.

Since Kaljurand is an MEP she did not take up the Riigikogu seat she won in any case; again, the next candidate on the list who has not won a seat in their own right gets that seat. In general this brings a situation where parties run high profile candidates with no intention of them taking up a Riigikogu seat if won, usually because they cannot – for instance if they hold a local government leadership position or, as in Kaljruand's case, a European Parliament seat.

SDE is to hold an electoral assembly in January, where its national list, district lists across all 12 districts, and platform will all be approved. Läänemets said experience shows minor and major changes alike are often needed at the last instant, hence the board's final decision on the national list coming relatively late – the election itself is March 7.

Vseviov was a long-serving Foreign Ministry secretary general and security expert who joined SDE earlier this month, meaning he will be stepping down from the secretary general post in November. He is also running as the party's prime ministerial candidate.

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