Estonian president nominates new coalition government

TALLINN - Estonian President Alar Karis officially nominated the coalition government led by Kaja Kallas and comprised of the Reform Party, Estonia 200 and Social Democratic Party (SDE) in Kadriorg, Tallinn, on Monday.

Karis said that coalition governments are the strength of Estonia because such politics is based on compromises and requires a broader view than just the wishes and promises of a single party.

"Therefore, the coalition agreement of the Reform Party, Estonia 200 and SDE also consists of the ideas of three different parties. The finale of the month-long coalition talks demonstrated a will to arrive at an agreement. It is now up to you and party groups how long this will lasts for. Its is a matter of internal peace of the governing coalition," the head of state said.

"There is external peace, too, which you will not be able to enjoy, however. Not even for 100 days, starting from today. The opposition will remind you constantly that diverging opinions exits. It is completely normal and democratic. It only becomes embarrassing if playfulness and verbal jabs turn into blocking the work of the parliament and a cascade of rudeness. We can already see that the relations between the governing coalition and opposition will prove quite tense," he noted.

The president called on the incoming governing coalition to explain its decisions.

"I don't think that even with unpleasant solutions, one should apologize for or justify them. But it needs to be clarified why the painful decision is the best one in your opinion. Smart people understand honest talk, obfuscation causes defiance and anger," he said.

The president added that choices must be accompanied by impact analyses.

"In my opinion, without an impact analysis, it is not possible to explain raising the VAT rate for accommodation establishments, changing the funding model for local governments, establishing details of the car tax or many other matters that our new governing coalition has promised to carry out in legislative drafting within the coming months or years," he said. The president subsequently wished the new government success in its work.