Jaan Männik decides against running in election as EKRE member
Former chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia Jaan Männik has decided against running in the 2019 Riigikogu elections as a member of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE).
"My kids said that they constantly have to hear talk of, 'Your father is a racist!' and answering questions like, 'Is your father a racist?'" Männik told weekly Eesti Ekspress.
"One could say I misjudged EKRE's reputation among young people," he said, explaining why he decided not to run after all. "Family is more important than my personal political career, however, and I don't want to put my family into this position."
In a speech given at EKRE's Summer Days event, Männik had said that he is a nationalist-conservative in worldview, and that beyond EKRE, there are currently no other parties in Estonia focused on nationalist-conservative policy.
Editor: Aili Vahtla