Kaja Kallas: Election result will change neither the Riigikogu nor government in Estonia

Prime Minister and Reform Party head Kaja Kallas said that the results of European Parliament elections do not affect the mandates in the Estonian parliament or the makeup of the current government even though the opposition was more successful at European elections.
"I would like to emphasize that these were European Parliament elections and that the result does not affect the number of Riigikogu mandates or the government in Estonia," Kallas said in an interview to Vikerraadio Monday.
She repeated her frequently expressed position that the Reform Party is part of the government and must take difficult decisions that affect its results at elections.
"There were attempts to leave the voter with the expression that these were general elections. Domestic matters appealed to voters more, considering the situation," the PM said.
Kallas added that the board of the Reform Party would convene to analyze the result on Wednesday. "But it's clear that the opposition did better at these elections," she said.
Kallas did not provide a clear answer when asked whether Reform lost a mandate because former chairman Andrus Ansip did not run.
Kallas remarked that it was Ansip's decision not to run, even though she also recommended against it, and that both Hanno Pevkur and Urmas Paet would have outperformed Ansip at in-house elections, which is how Reform picks its candidates.
Kallas considers high European office unlikely but said she would think it over
Commenting on speculation that she might be offered the post of EU high representative at an informal meeting of EU heads of government on June 17, Kallas said that nothing will be decided on June 17 and the meeting is not one for distributing postings.
"Commissioners will be appointed in August, which matter we will need to discuss in the party," the prime minister said.
"Should the proposal be made, which I consider highly unlikely, I would have to consider it," she noted.
Politico reported this week that French President Emmanuel Macron sees Kaja Kallas as a potential candidate for the post of the EU's foreign and security policy high representative.
Kallas told ETV in a previous interview that any potential support from Macron needs to be seen as a media speculation.
"I am not aware of Macron having endorsed me. It is something that journalists have cooked up," she said.
The opposition Isamaa won the European election in Estonia (79,170 votes) landing two mandates which feat was also managed by the coalition Social Democratic Party (SDE) the candidates of which got 71,171 votes between them. The Reform Party came in third (66,017 votes), EKRE fourth (64,712 votes) and the Center Party fifth (45,767 votes).
Reform lost out to both SDE and Isamaa in Tartu which has long been considered the ruling party's stronghold. Former chairman Andrus Ansip being at odds with PM Kallas and eventually deciding not to run is believed to have affected Reform having to settle for a single mandate.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
Source: Vikerraadio