Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Saturday said that her centre-right Reform Party has cracked a deal with two other parties to form a coalition government. The deal, as per the news agency AP, comes five weeks after the nation’s general elections. Party councils of Kallas’ Reform Party, the centrist Estonia 200 party and the Social Democratic Party, said that following lengthy talks, agreeing on government programs for the next four years, they would form the coalition. A formal signing of the coalition will take place on Monday, after which Kallas would hand to President Alar Karis her resignation for the current term.
“This agreement ensures that Estonia is protected, that we can continue as an independent and self-sustaining country,” who will remain as prime minister, said during a news conference.
Kallas whose party won Estonia’s March 5 parliamentary elections with 31.2 per cent vote will remain the Prime Minister. She said that the agreement “ensures that Estonia is protected, that we can continue as an independent and self-sustaining country.”
Her Reform Party as per AP was also the senior partner in the outgoing three-party government, in which it had partnered with the Social Democrats and the conservative Isamaa (Fatherland) party.
Kallas, who is the nation’s first female Prime Minister, has chaired the Reform Party since 2019, and the latest Cabinet will be her third.
The Reform party would hold 60 seat majority at the 101-seat Estonian parliament called Riigikogu. Of the 13-member Cabinet, Reform will hold seven ministerial portfolios, including the prime minister, the finance minister and the defence minister portfolios.
Estonia 200 and the Social Democrats will have three ministerial portfolios each.
As per Kallas, defence and security would top the new Cabinet’s agenda. Referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in Estonia’s neighbourhood, she said “security is a main concern” and added that’s why the country is “increasing our defence expenditure … in the coming years.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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