ESTONIA: Estonia fails to elect president, due to party boycotts

Estonia will elect a president next month, after preliminary votes failed to choose from a list of candidates, including an astronomer who would have been the country's first female head of state. The vote will now go to an electoral college, comprising 101 members of parliament and 246 representatives of local governments, which will decide the presidency on September 23. Two parties boycotted the voting, in the hope that such a college would be required to decide the outcome of the presidency. The People's Union and Center Party support the existing president, Arnold Ruutel, a 78-year old former Soviet-era leader popular with the rural poor, but who is disliked by the political elite in the cities because of his political past. Ruutel said he would not run in the parliamentary vote, but would stand for re-election in the electoral college. A college vote is likely to favour Ruutel. Demonstrators stood outside the parliament building on Monday (August 28) in protest at the boycott. The Demonstrators, who were mainly young activists from four coalition parties, demanded that the MPs follow their constitutional duty and vote. Astrophysicist, Dr Ene Ergma received the votes of all participating members of parliament, but was still three votes short of the majority required when parliamentarians voted on Monday. While she received congratulations from her colleagues, she was angered by those who had refused to take part in the voting. "There are some parliament members in Estonia who do not respect the constitution. Why do we write the constitution for our state if we do not respect it? The constitution says that first of all parliament will try to elect the president. I have said many, many times that I wouldn't have anything against it if all those members would come and pick up their ballots and just not vote for me. This would have been normal and democratic. But if the party says you are not allowed to vote at all, this I don't understand," she said. The Centre Party and centre-left People's Union say their actions are completely acceptable. "This is how Parliament works," Board Member for the Centre Party, Ain Seppik said. Further voting on Tuesday (August 29) failed to see European Parliament lawmaker, Toomas Ilves gain the required votes either. With the boycott continuing he secured 64 votes. Whoever ultimately wins, the outcome will not affect the Baltic states pro-Western and pro European Union policies, nor its aim of adopting the euro as soon as possible, because the head of state is a ceremonial role and holds no real power.

ITN Source | August 31, 2006

Tags:. .policies. .european. .due. .anything. .understand