Ergma reelected speaker

2009-03-26
From BNS wire reports

Ergma was reelected speaker of parliament by a wide margin. (Photo courtesy of the parliament of Estonia)

TALLINN 's Incumbent Estonian Parliamentary Speaker Ene Ergma has been reelected to the post by an overwhelming margin.

Ergma won with 74 votes against 11 from the 101 member parliament. The vote took place by secret ballot on March 26. This year, Ergma was the sole candidate for the post.

Ergma, 65, has been member of the parliament's board since 2003. She served as speaker from 2003-2006, was second deputy speaker in 2006-2007, and then became speaker again in 2007.

In the 2007 election of the speaker she was backed by 91 deputies and in 2008 by 83 deputies.

The present lineup of the parliament's board, with Ergma as speaker and Kristiina Ojuland (Reform) and Juri Ratas (Center) as her deputies, has been in office since the present parliament first convened in April 2007.

Votes for the two latter jobs were also to be taken on Mrch 26, with Ojuland and Ratas named as sole candidates.

The post of parliamentary speaker belongs to IRL and that of the first deputy speaker to Reform under the coalition agreement. The office of second deputy speaker is traditionally filled by the opposition.