Will Estonia Have a New President or Not?
lora...@cs.com
Publica' receiving 62 of 68 necessary votes - due to the machinations
of the 'People's Union' and the 'Center Party' who withheld their votes
in order to throw the election into the Electoral College where their
favorite, old-line communist Rutel, is judged to have an advantage.
>From LETA via Delfi for educational purposes:
"28. augusts 2006
Igaunijas parlaments pirmdien pirmaja balsojuma karta, ka jau
gaidits, nespeja ievelet valsts trešo prezidentu kopš
neatkaribas atgušanas.
Pirmajam balsojuma bija izvirzits tikai viens kandidats - 62 gadus
veca parlamenta spikera vietniece Ene Ergma no partijas "Res
Publica".
Vinas kandidaturu atbalstija cetras partijas - Reformu partija,
Tevzemes savieniba, "Res Publica" un socialdemokrati, tacu tam
pietruka tris balsu no prezidenta ievelešanai nepieciešamajam 68
balsim 101 vietu parlamenta.
Tautas savieniba un Centra partija jau agrak pazinoja, ka tas
pirmdien vispar nepiedalisies balsojuma, lai nodrošinatos pret
varbutibu, ka kads no deputatiem preteji partijas disciplinai
nobalso par Ergmi.
Tautas savieniba un Centra partija vienojušas virzit
parvelešanai pašreizejo prezidentu Arnoldu Ritelu, kurš valsts
vaditaja amata atrodas kopš 2001.gada.
Ritels izteicies, ka vinš piekritis kandidet tikai tada
gadijuma, ja parlaments nespes ievele prezidentu un balsojums tiks
nodots ipašai elektoru kolegijai, kur vinam pastav lielakas
ceribas uz ievelešanu.
Prezidenta velešanas izraisijušas niknas nesaskanas Igaunijas
politikos. Ergmas kandidaturu atbalstošas cetras partijas asi
nosodija Centra partijas un Tautas savienibas lemumu nepiedalities
prezidenta balsojuma, apsudzot tas valsts konstitucijas
neieverošana.
"Mes ceram, ka Centra partijas un Tautas savienibas parlamenta
deputati rikosies ka pienakas likumdevejiem un pildis viniem
uzticeto mandatu, nevis sekos partijas lideru rikojumiem," teikts
Reformu partijas priekšsedetaja, premjerministra Andrusa Ansipa,
socialdemokratu priekšsedetaja Ivara Padara, Tevzemes
savienibas un "Res Publica" apvienibas lidzpriekšsedetaju Tavi
Veskimegi un Tenisa Lukasa parakstitaja pazinojuma.
Balsojums parlamenta saksies plkst.11.45 pec vieteja laika (ari
Latvijas laika). Velešanu tiešraidi var verot Igaunijas parlamenta
interneta lapa "http://www.riigikogu.ee/live/otse.asx".
Cetru partiju koalicija otraja balsojuma karta plano izvirzit
Eiropas Parlamenta deputatu Tomasu Hendriku Ilvesu, tacu ari vinš,
visdrizak, netiks apstiprinats balsojumos parlamenta, jo Centra
partija un Tautas savieniba neplano piedalities ar nakamajos
balsojumos.
Otra un treša balsojuma karta parlamenta notiks otrdien attiecigi
plkst.11.50 un plkst.16. Ja ari otrdien prezidents netiks ievelets,
tad nakamo valsts vaditaju septembra beigas ieveles elektoru
kolegija, kas sastav no deputatiem un vietejo municipalitašu
lideriem."
..
Election results can be viewed on the Estonian parliament's internet
page:
http://www.riigikogu.ee/live/otse.asx
Eugene Holman
lora...@cs.com wrote:
> The first round resukted in the best candidate, Ene Ergma, of "Res
> Publica' receiving 62 of 68 necessary votes - due to the machinations
> of the 'People's Union' and the 'Center Party' who withheld their votes
> in order to throw the election into the Electoral College where their
> favorite, old-line communist Rutel, is judged to have an advantage.
Estonian President Arnold Rüütel was a nominal communist at a time when it
was impossible to have a career in Estonian politics, and thus work to
advance the interests of the republic, without party membership. President
Rüütel, as the last president of the Estonian SSR, was a skillful enough
negotiator that Estonian independence took place smoothly and with no
deaths. He is no more an old-line communist that you are, and his quiet,
modest, grandfatherly dignity is evidently still appreciated by the
Estonian power élite.
<deletions>
\EH
Estland
Eugene Holman kirjutas:
I tend to agree with Holman. The communists, former and present at the
time were both helping and preventing dissolution of the USSR,
depending on "wings" in the CPSU. Democratization of the USSR was led
by some of them, as well as separation from USSR was led by the others
and even with (considerable) help from the Russians pro-democratic
movements.
USSR was not a joke. It used to mass murder its enemies. If there were
unanimous opinion among communists, who controlled press, army, police
and even retail grocery, mass events like Baltic Chain, Singing
revolutions, Sajudis, People's Fronts would never had happened.
Though in case of Rüütel, the position he chose in the 80s may not be
enough to keep him in power. We shall see soon.
martin
I´ve lost a lot of respect for Rüütel. The whole thing is a total
scandal. Rüütel is an insincere coward, in not standing for election
by the Estonian parliament, then criticising the attempted election as
being undemocratic. Rüütel has damaged Estonian democracy with his
cynical party political games.
Regards,
Martin
Estland
martin kirjutas:
clearity as well as for those who retain the illusion of Rüütel today
having same, whatever little or big, respect as Rüütel of four years
ago, I sum up the mortal sins of todays' Rüütel:
1) being former leading communist (wasn't as important then as it is
now, in the light of new information)
2) being too old (this is much more important now compared to 4 years
ago, as now Rüütel is one of the oldest if not the oldest elected
leaders today)
3) being partisan (again, Rüütel is seen more a tool of his party as
it was thought at the time he was first elected)
I personally cant blame him for not going along with the parliament
game, though particular bit mentioned by you wasnt pretty.
This gives me grounds to consider Rüütel failing to be reelected with
some of rural deputies, who wouldn't otherwise support "bold and
beautiful" right, liberal, and suspiciously European looking left
(sotsdem), casting a protest vote for Ilves.