Skip to main menu 17.08.26 NEWS ... Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise on Monday officially put herself forward as a candidate to be the next president of Estonia, ending weeks of speculation.
14.08.26 NEWS ... TalTech rector Tiit Land says a meeting with the Riigikogu's independent MPs may have boosted his chances of securing a nomination in Estonia's presidential race.
14.08.26 NEWS ... Potential presidential candidate Tiit Land says he does not see himself as a pawn of Isamaa and the Center Party.
13.08.26 NEWS ... Ülle Madise is now backed by more than 60 MPs, but Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) still believes TalTech rector Tiit Land will also enter Estonia's presidential race.
13.08.26 NEWS ... Sixty-two MPs have signed in favor of Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as a candidate at next month's presidential elections, up from the 55 received as of yesterday.
13.08.26 NEWS ... Ex-Reform MP Meelis Kiili has proposed that unaffiliated members of the Riigikogu support the nomination of Tiit Land as a presidential candidate to ensure that at least two viable candidates make it onto the ballot.
11.08.26 NEWS ... Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise is ready to run for President of the Republic of Estonia if sufficient support emerges, Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar said after the meeting of the Riigikogu Council of Elders. Signature collection for her nomination will now begin.
11.08.26 NEWS ... Estonian university and academic leaders have endorsed TalTech Rector Tiit Land for president, saying his academic leadership and international experience make him a strong candidate.
10.08.26 NEWS ... Newly independent MP Meelis Kiili told ERR that while he respects Ülle Madise as justice chancellor, he cannot support her as a presidential candidate until he hears her views on foreign policy, national defense and social policy.
09.08.26 NEWS ... Martin Helme said his party would not support Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as a potential candidate in the presidential election and that the chancellor's conflict of roles in the election could lead to the result being challenged in court.
08.08.26 NEWS ... Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said she has not put herself forward as a presidential candidate, but would seriously consider the role if the Riigikogu can find enough votes to support her.
08.08.26 NEWS ... Unaffiliated members of the Riigikogu are discussing who they will vote for at the upcoming presidential election on September 2, and the coalition will need their support to elect their chosen candidate.
05.08.26 NEWS ... Preparations for this year's presidential election are unusual, as only one party has nominated a party member, and no nationwide campaigning has been seen, some experts note.
05.08.26 NEWS ... One of the figures who stated they were interested in running at next month's presidential election has announced their withdrawal from the race, Postimees reported.
04.08.26 NEWS ... Reform parliamentary group leader Õnne Pillak said that Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise has expressed a willingness to run for president if there is "broad-based support" for her candidacy.
31.07.26 NEWS ... Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) says he is optimistic about a new head of state being elected in early September.
03.08.26 OPINION ... Can Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise run for president without resigning — when her candidacy would mean seeking a decision from the very institution she oversees?
30.07.26 NEWS ... Prime Minister and Reform Party chair Kristen Michal said Reform firmly backs Justice Chancellor Ülle Madise for president, urging Estonia's other parties to follow suit.
29.07.26 NEWS ... Long-serving European Commission official Maive Rute, has thrown her hat in the ring for a presidential bid and will run if she is asked to be a candidate.
29.07.26 NEWS ... Politicians across party lines have reacted to diplomat Hannes Hanso's statement that he would run for president if asked, though none have pledged their support for him yet.
28.07.26 NEWS ... Incoming Estonian ambassador to the United States Hannes Hanso has said he would be willing to be a candidate at September's Estonian presidential elections, if asked.
28.07.26 NEWS ... Estonia's political parties remain unable to agree on how and whether Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise might run for president in September.
24.07.26 NEWS ... Estonia's political parties have taken different approaches to finding a new president, who will be elected this autumn, with some meeting all hopefuls and others betting on a single candidate.
23.07.26 NEWS ... As the September presidential election fast approaches, several names have emerged as potential candidates to succeed Alar Karis. ERR News outlines those who want to run and those who do not.
23.07.26 NEWS ... Presidential candidate nominee Indrek Laul says he wants to unite parties and different worldviews, following his nomination Thursday by 30 public figures, including those from the spheres of culture, business and academia.
03.07.26 NEWS ... Retired Maj. Gen. Riho Ühtegi, floated Friday by a group of public figures as a potential presidential candidate, says he considers himself a conservative and believes foreign policy has its place in the president's work, but that ensuring national unity is the job's most important task.
03.07.26 NEWS ... Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar (Estonia 200) said he is considering convening the Riigikogu Council of Elders in August. The second deputy speaker, Toomas Kivimägi (Reform Party), likewise believes there is no need to hurry.
03.07.26 NEWS ... A group of well‑known Estonian public figures on Friday proposed retired major general Riho Ühtegi as a candidate in the country's upcoming presidential election, saying Estonia needs a direct, trusted leader with strong security credentials.
03.07.26 NEWS ... The ruling Reform Party would support Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise's presidential candidacy if she opts to run, party leader and Prime Minister Kristen Michal said.
02.07.26 NEWS ... Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise has said she has not given her consent to be a presidential candidate ahead of this autumn's elections.
02.07.26 NEWS ... The opposition Social Democrats (SDE) rushed into proposing Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as a presidential candidate, Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart said.
02.07.26 NEWS ... The coalition Eesti 200 party is willing to back Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as its candidate for president at this fall's election, party leader Kristina Kallas said.
01.07.26 NEWS ... The opposition Social Democrats (SDE) have proposed long-serving Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as a presidential candidate.
01.07.26 NEWS ... While several Riigikogu independents have decided they will approach the presidential election with a shared position, some unaffiliated lawmakers do not intend to take part in the presidential election.
29.06.26 NEWS ... The ruling Reform Party expects the speaker of the Riigikogu to take the lead in organizing discussions on the presidential election and believes the initiative in putting forward candidates should come primarily from the opposition.
29.06.26 NEWS ... Parliamentary parties will spend this week discussing ways to agree on a joint candidate in an effort to elect the president in the Riigikogu. Members of the European Parliament elected from Estonia believe reaching a consensus is possible.
25.06.26 NEWS ... Finding a presidential candidate with enough support to be elected in the Riigikogu this September will not be an easy task, analysts have said, after Alar Karis announced he would not seek a second term earlier this week.
23.06.26 NEWS ... President Alar Karis said in his Victory Day parade on Tuesday that he will not stand as a candidate at this autumn's election, putting an end to months of speculation.
20.06.26 NEWS ... A campaign post featuring EKRE founder Mart Helme was removed from social media after using Alo Mattiisen's 1988 hit "Isamaa ilu hoieldes" unauthorized.
17.06.26 NEWS ... Members of the parliament will meet on September 2 to elect Estonia's next head of state, the Riigikogu announced on Wednesday.
14.06.26 NEWS ... The Center Party officially backed President Alar Karis for a second term on Saturday but also called for direct elections where the head of state is chosen by the people, not the Riigikogu.
27.05.26 NEWS ... Veteran journalist Kärt Anvelt and former journalist Toomas Sildam look back at Estonia's presidential elections since 1992, exploring how political dynamics and evolving electoral rules have shaped the country's leadership over the past three decades.
20.05.26 NEWS ... According to Kristina Kallas, chair of Eesti 200 party, President Alar Karis does not have sufficient support in parliament to remain in office this fall, and therefore a candidate must be found who can secure the necessary backing.
19.05.26 NEWS ... Incumbent Alar Karis has earned the public's trust and is a worthy candidate, although some of his interviews have sparked less-than-favorable controversy, former Prime Minister Andrus Ansip finds.
17.05.26 NEWS ... Former Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has ruled herself out of running for president of Estonia, saying it is not the job for her.
14.05.26 NEWS ... In light of the looming presidential election, ERR examined the approval ratings of Estonia's presidents, comparing how they changed over time and which demographic groups showed higher or lower levels of support.
14.05.26 NEWS ... If the choice were only between two presidential candidates, 70 percent of respondents to a recent poll said they would support Alar Karis, while 15 percent would back Kersti Kaljulaid.
11.05.26 NEWS ... The chances of Estonia's next president being elected in the Riigikogu are slim, as the level of trust between political parties is extremely low, finds Social Democratic Party deputy chair Jevgeni Ossinovski.
08.05.26 NEWS ... Members of the Reform Party's parliamentary faction are skeptical that Kersti Kaljulaid could be elected president of Estonia again after Alar Karis, as proposed on Thursday by party leader and Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
07.05.26 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said former President Kersti Kaljulaid could run for a second term this fall, though no one has discussed the idea with her directly.
