After a 4-hour-long debate, 29 Riigikogu MPs voted in favor of the no-confidence motion. At least 51 votes would have been needed for the motion to pass.

In Wednesday, the Riigikogu groups of the Center Party, EKRE, Isamaa and the Social Democratic Party (SDE) submitted a motion of no confidence against Pakosta. The motion cited the minister's failure to initiate criminal proceedings against Pihlakodu AS and her misleading the public regarding the planned transfer of 600 Swedish prisoners to Tartu.

Pakosta said she stood accused of things she had not done and that went against her own values.

As for the delay in implementing the Competition Authority's directive, Pakosta said that at the time it ought to have been implemented, politicians from the current opposition were the ones able to do so.

Regarding the transfer of prisoners to Estonia, Pakosta said that in 2023, before the last Riigikogu elections, the possibility of renting a prison to foreign countries had been put forward by Isamaa. However, she stressed that no firm agreement had been reached and that only preliminary consultations had been held.

In relation to Pihlakodu, Pakosta said the opposition is accusing her of not breaking the law. Pakosta stressed that according to the law, the minister cannot interfere in criminal proceedings.

"We live in a free state governed by the rule of law and where politicians do not interfere in criminal proceedings. Politicians are not the ones who are going to point fingers and tell people to get on with it," Pakosta said.

The minister added that she had stated from the outset that every rape causes damage to health. "There is no doubt about it. I have used all the tools that the law allows me to use," Pakosta said. "The moral judgment toward rape such as this can only be one of total condemnation and there is no doubt that every rape causes harm to the victims and to the victims' loved ones."

The no-confidence motion against Pakosta was initiated by 42 opposition MPs during Wednesday's plenary session of the Riigikogu. The government asked the Riigikogu leadership during an extraordinary e-session on Wednesday to debate the no-confidence motion in parliament on Thursday at the earliest possible opportunity.

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