The Estonian national defense council has unanimously endorsed President Toomas Hendrik Ilves's proposal to amend the national defense chapter of the Constitution.
The proposal envisages eliminating references to the defense forces commander in the constitution. The essence of the proposal is to place the appointment of the defense forces commander under the competencies of the government, Ilves explained during the national defense council session. Ilves said that he felt the current method of appointing a candidate to the position is a ceremonial solution that muddles the clarity of the civilian leadership command line.
Ilves said that by amending the national defense chapter of the Constitution, it was ncessary to rule out any theoretical opportunity of politicizing the defense forces' leadership.
Ilves is planning to hand over his bill on the amendment of the Constitution at the beginning of May.
