Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas confirmed Saturday that she will lead the government of Estonia for the next four years following lengthy talks. Kallas’ pro-business Reform Party overwhelmingly won Estonia’s March 5 parliamentary election with 31.2% of the vote. It has formed a coalition with the centrist Estonia 200 party and the Social Democratic Party after agreeing on government programs. Kaja Kallas has been seen as one of the most forceful and productive leaders in Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine with stoic and pragmatic leadership.
Despite Estonia’s small size with just 1.3 million people, it has through history ‘punched above its weight.’ Kallas was able to get a reluctant and dismissive German Chancellor Scholz to take a more meaningful opposition to Russian President’s Putin’s threats. Estonia is a European Union and NATO member
“This agreement ensures that Estonia is protected, that we can continue as an independent and self-sustaining country,” Kallas, who will remain as prime minister, said during a news conference.
Kallas has been Prime Minister of Estonia since January 2021, she has also chaired the Reform Party since 2018, and the new Cabinet will be her third.
The Reform Party was also the senior partner in the outgoing three-party government with the Social Democrats and the conservative Isamaa (Fatherland) party. The Isamaa party has been replaced by the centrist Estonia 200 party in this coalition.
Reform is set to have seven ministerial portfolios, including Kallas’ prime minister post, the finance minister and the defense minister portfolios in the 13-member Cabinet. It would hold a 60-seat majority at the 101-seat Riigikogu (Parliament).
Source: ERR
From the TradersCommunity News Desk