Estonian President Alar Karis has announced he will not stand for a second term, citing deeply personal reasons for a decision he said he had taken long ago.
The 68-year-old made the announcement in a speech at an Estonian national holiday event in Rapla on Tuesday, later confirming to Estonian media that he had made the decision some time ago.
Karis is the head of state of the Baltic EU and NATO member state, which borders Russia.
Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, is due to elect a new president on September 2. A two-thirds majority of the 101-seat parliament is required to elect a candidate to the largely ceremonial highest office of state.
Karis had recently been unable to count on sufficient support for a possible second term, due to political differences and repeated disagreements with one of the governing parties.
“The president has made a long-awaited decision that has brought clarity,” Prime Minister Kristen Michal said. “Now the political forces represented in parliament must find a consensus on who could be the best presidential candidate for Estonia.”
Michal said it was important to find a candidate with a clear vision for foreign and security policy who could unite the Estonian people in these difficult times.
Karis has held the post since October 2021. The scientist is the fifth president of the Baltic republic in north-eastern Europe since it regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.