President Alar Karis will not run for second presidential term
President Alar Karis said in his Victory Day parade on Tuesday that he will not stand as a candidate at this autumn's election, putting an end to months of speculation.
"Dear people of Estonia, as head of state, I wish you a happy Victory Day and a joyful Midsummer Eve for the last time," Karis said in his speech in Rapla.
The president's term ends this autumn, and Karis had promised to confirm around Midsummer whether or not he intended to run again.
Estonia's head of state is elected by the parliament, not directly by the people, and it has been widely discussed that Karis would not have enough support to win another term.
The Riigikogu will convene to elect the president on September 2.
It is not yet known who the candidates will be; only EKRE's Mart Helme, a former minister of the interior, has put himself forward for the role.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Aleksander Krjukov, Valner Väino
