According to Hussar, Ülle Madise confirmed she is prepared to run for president. The speaker said it is now the task of parliamentary factions to gather support signatures for Madise. "After that, we can assess how broad‑based the support for Madise is," Hussar added.

Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise sent a brief letter to Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar. With Madise's permission, ERR publishes the full text of the letter.

"Honorable Speaker of the Riigikogu,

Thank you and all members of the Riigikogu who, in discussing with me the possibility of running for President of the Republic, have understood my role as the head of an independent constitutional institution.

I confirm that if a sufficient majority of Riigikogu members find that I should continue serving the state as President of the Republic, I am willing to run. If the vote confirms the choice of the Riigikogu members, I will take on that responsibility."

Hussar said the purpose of the Council of Elders meeting was to hear parties' proposals regarding the presidential election and which candidates they intend to put forward. The Reform Party, Social Democratic Party, and Eesti 200 proposed Madise; EKRE's candidate is Mart Helme.

10 days until candidates can be nominated

Reform Party faction chair Õnne Pillak said not all factions named their preferred presidential candidate, meaning discussions will continue. She added that the current question is whether Madise has enough support to be nominated.

Chairman of the Center Party faction Lauri Laats said the situation is complicated, as factions cannot meet Madise before August 21, meaning the Center Party cannot form a position on her yet. Hussar said he will discuss with Madise whether and how she could meet factions before becoming an official candidate, given her role as Chancellor of Justice.

 "We still have 10 days before candidates can be officially nominated, and we have not heard a clear yes from Madise," Laats said. The Center Party's board and faction will meet Tuesday evening to discuss who their official candidate might be.

"All candidates who have clearly said yes are brave and dignified," Laats added. The Center Party plans to meet Tiit Land soon. Once they have met all candidates, the party will make its decision.

Discussions continue

EKRE chair Martin Helme said the Council of Elders spent a long time trying to understand what level of support Madise expects. He said he understood that the goal is not to gather 68 votes, but more than 50. "The liberal bloc does not have 68 votes for Madise," Helme noted.

Isamaa faction chair Helir‑Valdor Seeder also said it is unclear whether Madise is ready to run. "We have proposed meeting with Madise, but she has replied that she does not consider herself a candidate," he added.

Opposition parties Isamaa and the Center Party do not currently have their own candidate to support. Neither rules out supporting Madise.

SDE MP: Center and Isamaa leaning toward Land

Social Democratic Party (SDE) MP Raimond Kaljulaid, meanwhile, noted that Tuesday's Council of Elders meeting did not result in a cross-party agreement on a single candidate, adding that Isamaa and the Center Party appear to be leaning toward Land instead.

Kaljulaid said the two opposition parties had signaled in recent days that they would not join an agreement to back a single candidate, which they did not.

The Social Democrat pointed out that the two parties' combined support, potentially with two or three additional lawmakers, could be enough to nominate Land, "assuming Isamaa and Center can count on all their MPs."

He also questioned whether Madise would enter the race after all without broad cross-party backing.

If both Land and Madise run with strong support, Kaljulaid said their votes could split and force the election into the electoral college. If one emerges as the sole strong candidate, however, and the other "withdraws before or during the election, it seems to me at this point that the president will more likely be elected directly by the Riigikogu."

More candidates

Diplomat Hannes Hanso, entrepreneur Indrek Laul, EU official Maive Rute, and Tallinn University of Technology rector Tiit Land have all announced they are ready to run.

Currently, only EKRE has a confirmed candidate — Mart Helme — but nominating a presidential candidate in the Riigikogu requires at least 21 votes, and EKRE does not have that many.

Candidate nominations begin on 21 August, and the first round of voting will take place on 2 September.

The Riigikogu Council of Elders consists of members of the Riigikogu Board and the chairs of parliamentary factions.

This article was updated on August 11 to add the full text of Ülle Madise's letter and the latest comments by political factions.

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