Estonian Center Party endorses Ruutel

Aug 14, 2006
By TBT staff

TALLINN - An extraordinary extended board of the Estonian Center Party on Sunday overwhelmingly endorsed Arnold Ruutel as its presidential candidate.

Of those present, 94 voted for Ruutel, three for Ene Ergma, and two for Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a spokesman for the party told the Baltic News Service. The Center Party extended board also endorsed an agreement with the People's Union that will be signed later today. "Like the president, the Center Party wants an Estonia in which the people would be statisfied with as their head of state," Center Party leader Edgar Savisaar said. "This means ensuring a worthy life for everyone in Estonia despite the person's age." "President Ruutel has acted in a statesmanly and balanced way," he added. Ruutel later confirmed his readiness to stand for a second term of office in the electoral college round. "I have said before and confirm here to you today that, in case Parliament fails to perform its constitutional duty and the election requires that a more wide-based democratic decision-making body is called in the form of an electoral college, I will give my consent to run for a second term of office," Ruutel said. Ruutel promised to run in the electoral college in order to assume co-responsbility for balanced and sustainable development of Estonia. But Ruutel also pointed out that before Parliament had made its decision, he could not assume the role of a presidential candidate.

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