Estonian presidential election to continue on Sept. 24

TALLINN - After three failed rounds of voting in Estonia’s parliament, the Estonian presidential elections will occur on Sept. 24.
As per the Constitution and the Election of the President of the Republic Act, the chairman of the parliament of Estonia, Eiki Nestor, has called a meeting of the electoral college to elect the president of Estonia for the next five years at Estonia Concert Hall for next month.

"Consistent with the Estonian constitution and the presidential elections law, Speaker Eiki Nestor assembled an electoral college, which will converge in the Estonia Concert Hall at noon on Sept. 24, 2016," stated the parliament’s press service.

Neither of the two candidates in Tuesday's runoff in the Riigikogu earned the requisite 68 votes necessary to get elected as president. This means that the task of electing the head of state will be passed on to an electoral college made up of all 101 members of the parliament and 234 representatives of local government councils. During the first round of the presidential election in the Riigikogu on Monday, Joks received 25 votes, Nestor 40, and Reps 26. There were eight blank ballots in that vote.

The parliament will present the two presidential candidates who earned the majority of the votes in parliament to the electoral college. These are the honourary chair of the ruling Reform Party Siim Kallas, who gained 42 votes, and vice-chair of the largest opposition Centre Party, Mailis Reps, who earned 26 votes.

At least 21 parliament deputies are eligible to put forward presidential candidates.

In the first round, if neither candidate wins, the second round will be held later on the same day and engage the two candidates who win the most votes of the electoral college.