Retired military officer Meelis Kiili said immediately that he would not vote for Kaljulaid. "She would not get my vote. For a very simple reason. I do not believe she would be a unifier of the people in the way Arnold Rüütel, for example, was," Kiili said.

Valdo Randpere said that in his assessment Kaljulaid's chances of being elected president again would be even worse than those of the current president, Alar Karis, whose chances are already very slim.

Randpere ruled out Kaljulaid's re-election mainly because of her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2019. The meeting took place, among other things, after the annexation of Crimea and the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet.

Randpere himself would rather vote for Karis than for Kaljulaid, but even his vote would not be enough for Kaljulaid. According to Randpere, Kaljulaid could get at most 40 votes in the Riigikogu, given that half of Reform Party members would not support her.

Riigikogu Vice Speaker Toomas Kivimägi said that he is not currently ready to say whether he would vote for or against Kaljulaid.

"Yesterday I wrote to the prime minister and conveyed my position, but I'll keep that to myself," Kivimägi said.

Kivimägi added that in his opinion presidential elections in Estonia should be conducted more openly, and people should not be afraid to nominate themselves at an earlier stage.

"No one wants to fail, I understand that, but even getting 51 votes in the Riigikogu is actually recognition. If you seriously want to become president, say so and don't worry about the votes," Kivimägi said.

Reform Party faction leader Õnne Pillak did not directly answer the question of whether Kaljulaid could become president.

"Kaljulaid was an outstanding president who used her position to defend the weaker groups in society. I very much appreciated that," Pillak noted.

"In my view, the most important thing is to find a candidate who stands for Estonia's Western values and enjoys broad-based support in society," she added.

Former Minister of Education Liina Kersna said that she once voted for Kaljulaid, but at the moment she has not yet thoroughly thought through Kaljulaid's candidacy for herself and doubts her chances.

"I liked Kaljulaid as president, but whether this is her time now, I'm not sure," Kersna said.

Kersna added that Estonia has other worthy candidates as well. "Yesterday [the outgoing president of the Bank of Estonia] Madis Müller appeared in front of the Riigikogu for the last time. I listened to him and thought that he could be a candidate. Next week [Tallinn University rector] Tõnu Viik's term ends—why couldn't he be?" Kersna said.

She added that both are charismatic top leaders with a warm presence, capable of addressing society through their choice of words, and they also have foreign-relations experience gained in their current positions.

Former Minister of Justice and Defense Kalle Laanet said that his personal assessment is mixed and that he will not give a clear answer at this time. "This discussion is at such an early stage that I can't say yes or no," Laanet said.

Former Minister of Finance Annely Akkermann said that she personally would vote for Kaljulaid, but gathering the 68 votes needed to be elected may not succeed for Kaljulaid in the Riigikogu.

"She was and is a very values-based person, and she also has opponents," Akkermann said. "I would support her if she decided to run, but I'm not sure her support is sufficient."

Mart Võrklaev, also a former Minister of Finance, said that Kaljulaid would certainly be a strong candidate, since she has previously served as president, but her election would depend on the will of the parties.

The youngest member of the Riigikogu, Hanah Lahe, said that she would support Kaljulaid's candidacy, but she is not sure whether broader support could be found in the Riigikogu, as the Social Democrats in her view prefer Marina Kaljurand.

Lahe disagreed with the claim that Michal's proposal of Kaljulaid is merely political maneuvering and a so‑called "meat grinder" running new names through the candidate process.

"Before presidential elections we speculate about everything, and if we think back to Kaljulaid's first candidacy, she too emerged as a surprise candidate," Lahe said.

Valdo Randpere said that at the time Kaljulaid was actually elected thanks to Leo Kunnas and EKRE.

Specifically, when the presidential election failed in the electoral assembly, all parties agreed on electing Jüri Luik as president. But EKRE‑affiliated retired military officer Leo Kunnas opposed Jüri Luik because he disliked decisions made during Luik's time as defense minister, Randpere noted.

Because Kunnas was an authority within EKRE, the party began blocking Luik, after which the then speaker of the Riigikogu, Social Democrat Eiki Nestor, put forward Kersti Kaljulaid, who was largely unknown at the time, Randpere said.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on Thursday that Kersti Kaljulaid could once again become president of Estonia.

According to the plan, the Riigikogu rounds of the presidential election will take place on September 2 and 3. To nominate a candidate, the signatures of 21 members of the Riigikogu are required, which means that among parliamentary factions only the Reform Party faction can nominate a candidate on its own.

To be elected president, 68 votes are needed in a secret ballot. If the president cannot be elected in the Riigikogu, the election moves to the Electoral Assembly, where, in addition to members of parliament, representatives of local governments also participate, for a total of 208 people.