SDE board confirms Raik as candidate for Minister of the Interior
Convening on Thursday evening, the board of the coalition Social Democratic Party (SDE) officially confirmed Katri Raik, the current rector of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, its candidate for Minister of the Interior.
Raik thanked the leadership of the SDE for its trust in her and acknowledged outgoing Minister Andres Anvelt.
In a studio interview with ETV news broadcast Aktuaalne kaamera, Raik said that she is not concerned that the government she is about to join may collapse sometime in the next few weeks.
"I know the chairmen of all three coalition parties — Jüri Ratas, Jevgeni Ossinovski as well as Helir-Valdor Seeder," she said. "And I believe in their common sense, and want to hope that the government will not break up."
Raik admitted that three months is a short amount of time to serve as minister, but the three months in this case will include Christmas, and it cannot be forgotten that this is a pre-election period. Nonetheless, she will have to face issues that are in no way new.
"The same issues are on the table: raises for police and rescuers, and the matter of special pensions," Raik said. "Regarding special pensions, I understand everyone who is skeptical, and says that miners, for example, should get it too then. But we have to ensure the sustainability of our police, and in this case we have to consider all opportunities we have for compensating the lack of nearly 1,000 police officers in the coming few years. Special pensions is one means."
MP position also of interest
Should the SDE not make it into the next government, if Raik is elected, she would be prepared to serve as MP instead.
"My last day of work as rector of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences is on Sunday," she explained. "That door is closed for me now. Ahead of me are the elections in Ida-Viru County, and I dare say I will be elected."
Minister of the Interior Andres Anvelt (SDE) announced at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he would be resigning as Minister of the Interior and leaving politics for health-related reasons.
Anvelt said that he would be leaving politics altogether, not joining the Riigikogu for the three months left until the Riigikogu elections next March. He will also no longer be running in the elections, where he was to be the SDE's top candidate in Ida-Viru County.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
