This is despite an apparent desire to get the next head of state voted in at the Riigikogu in early September, Arras told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Is Ülle Madise now that person the Riigikogu can find consensus on?

One might hope; the reality is different. The numbers indicate it will not be so easy. As the decision has been made, [nomination] signatures [from MPs] will start to get collected on Wednesday, but no one has expressed outright opposition, so there is a chance.

How should we look at Urmas Reinsalu's desire, and that of other politicians, to get acquainted with Ülle Madise and her views? Is Madise an unknown quantity to politicians?

She is likely not entirely unknown to them, and I believe they will all have encountered her in the course of their political careers, both directly and thanks to her public appearances. That said, there is nothing strange about wanting to meet, to hear Ülle Madise's views in more detail, for example on foreign policy and security issues, as well as on domestic matters, family policy and so on. That should certainly go ahead.

It is clear that there is currently some disagreement over the correct timing, but from a citizen's perspective I would certainly like to hear Madise's views as a potential presidential candidate, at the earliest available opportunity.

How should Tiit Land's candidacy be seen? Has he been put forward to guarantee that the election moves from the Riigikogu to the electoral college, as the opposition would like to happen?

This is always a possibility. During the presidential election process, it should also be borne in mind that we have Riigikogu elections in six months' time, and the opposition's task is to establish a narrative that will help it, heading into those elections. With that in mind, they are not going to immediately rally behind the coalition's candidate, which Ülle Madise is nevertheless now emerging as, even as she herself does not want to be that. She wants to be a candidate for all, and has expressed clearly her desire to remain impartial. Come what may, having alternative candidates serves the opposition's aims. There is right now a willingness to reach consensus at the Riigikogu, but it still seems more likely that the matter will ultimately head to the electoral college.

How likely is it that the electoral college will consider the candidates who have already been put forward? Or is there still a "dark horse" candidate yet to emerge?

An increasing number of candidates have emerged in recent weeks, so nothing should be ruled out. Since the window for nominating candidates is still pretty short, more new names may emerge only once it becomes clear that the Riigikogu is unable to elect a president.

Everyone is saying there needs to be a presidential debate. Could you imagine all these respected people arguing with each other and angrily throwing arguments to and fro? What would a debate like that look like?

If a debate were to take place, it could be a substantive one. ERR has every opportunity to organize a substantive discussion of that kind. When I look at the presidential elections our northern neighbor Finland has, though the electoral system is different, presidential candidates there discuss foreign policy and economic policy, as well as other issues. All the candidates are given equal air time, and the discussion is not adversarial, but substantive. I believe Estonia needs the same thing.

Background:

The presidential candidate nomination window runs Aug. 21-24, with the three Riigikogu ballots to follow Sept. 2-3, with at least 68 votes required. If these draw a blank, the process heads to a 208-member-strong regional electoral college, which convenes in Tallinn. If this, too, fails to get a president elected, the matter returns to the Riigikogu, with parliament's Council of Elders – the speaker, their two deputies, and the heads of the six elected party factions – having the final say on a candidate to be voted on. This last happened in October 2016 when Kersti Kaljulaid was elected president. You can read more about the potential candidates so far, here.

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