An appeal against the presidential election will be decided by Estonia's Supreme Court this week. However, the Central Electoral Committe said the decision would not alter the final vote in favor of Toomas Hendrik Ilves. The appeal was lodged by Viktor Fjodorov, a Centrist member of the Loksa local council who claimed he was wrongly denied a seat on the Electoral College. Due to a schism in the Loksa council, the small local government selected two representatives to send to the Electoral College to fill its allotted one seat. The Central Electoral Committee last week decided to accept just one of the representatives, a member of the Reform Party. The Supreme Court was due to hand down its decision this week. Ilves was elected with 174 votes, with 173 needed to claim victory. A spokesman for the Central Electoral Committee said if the court ruled in favor of Fiodorov, Ilves would still hold the required majority.
The anniversary of the capture of Tallinn by Soviet forces passed peacefully, with a small crowd gathering at the Bronze Soldier to mark the date. Police said participants in the events were reasonably behaved on Sept. 22. Seven men were issued with misdemeanour charges after being taken by police from the Bronze Soldier monument, which was cordoned off. Three young men were charged with being drunk in public, three other elderly men were cautioned for placing flowers on the security fence, and one man was cautioned for throwing flowers over the security fence. Public demonstrations have been banned at the Bronze Solder monument in Tonismagi after heated clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Estonian demonstrators broke out in May.
A third Estonian beer company, next to the popular Saku and A Le Coq, is stepping up its production, making drinkers question their beverage allegiances. The Parnu-based Puls Brewery has announced it will build a 200 million kroon (12.8 million euro) plant to help increase its capacity. Puls currently holds 4.4 percent of the beer market, but hopes to snare 20 percent with its new brewery. The company of 75 employees is known for its boutique brews, which are regarded by some drinkers as Estonia's finest.
