President Karis accepts prime minister’s resignation and starts negotiations for formation of new government

President Alar Karis met this morning in Kadriorg with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who submitted her resignation to the head of state in connection with her nomination as the candidate for High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

President Karis thanked the outgoing head of government for her leadership over the last three and a half years.

“Prime Minister Kallas’ time in office has been one of crisis after crisis,” he remarked, “from the pandemic to the recession and then war in Europe, Russia shattering our ideas of security with its military aggression in Ukraine.”

The head of state announced that he would be launching negotiations for the formation of a new government with all of the parties represented in the Riigikogu.

“The Reform Party, as the party of the prime minister to date and with the highest number of MPs after the last elections, at 37, has already nominated its candidate for head of government,” he noted. “Given the distribution of parties in parliament, I now want to hear what all of them have to say regarding who they think is most capable of forming a workable majority government.”

President Karis added that Estonia needs a government that will govern. “It must make decisions that get the economy back on track, shore up our security and thereby boost the sense of security among the population, as well as their ability to cope,” he said.