You said this summer that you would be prepared to run for president. Why did you put yourself in that position?

Actually, a journalist asked me what I would say if I were offered the opportunity. I answered exactly as I would today: If such an offer were made and my expertise and experience could be put to use for the Republic of Estonia in that role, I would say yes.

It did end up putting a bit of a damper on my vacation. My family and I had planned to spend a couple of weeks in Estonia, but instead there was a lot of media attention and related activity. I still believe I would do a very good job in that role.

I would point out, however, that the president has not yet been elected. It is more than likely to happen on September 2 and I certainly wish the new president the very best and every success. I will make sure to put their picture up in my office in Washington at the earliest opportunity.

What did you learn from the process?

First and foremost, I learned just how much warm and positive feedback I received from people. That is nice and it must mean I have done something right in my life.

But another lesson is that once you allow your name to be floated for a position like this, all kinds of discussions immediately begin. I think this also highlights a weakness in our system. A great many people are either embarrassed or reluctant to say that they have ambitions to run for president.

Instead, political theatrics start playing out behind the scenes.

Why?

Because we have elections coming up. If the goal is to have a nonpolitical head of state, then there should be some kind of approach that does not turn the presidential election into part of a political theater production or choreographed dance.

We are an extremely democratic country by any international standard. But the fact that the presidential election process largely takes place through shadow theater and various forms of political maneuvering is, in my view, out of step with the rest of our political system.

Ultimately, if the president is elected in the Riigikogu, then frankly, where were the discussions and debates beforehand? Where was the public debate over whether one candidate or another was better? In reality, there wasn't one. I think that is a systemic weakness.

I have served as a member of the Riigikogu myself and participated in a presidential election. At the time, I did not know to look at the process in this way, but today, having become somewhat involved in the process myself, I would say that it is not befitting a 21st-century liberal democracy.

So how should the system be changed?

I have not previously been involved in amending the Constitution, but during this campaign I read through it again to make sure I was up to speed on the issues.

Above all, it is a matter of political agreement. If you were to ask any politician privately whether the current system is functional, works well and genuinely represents the interests of the people, I think many would say it could be better.

I don't know exactly how it should be changed. But there should not be this kind of lobbying and dealmaking that takes place out of public view.

Could we imagine, for example, a European democracy or the United States where, just a couple of weeks before an election, it is still not really known who the candidates are? Campaigns like this should begin, if not a year in advance, then at least six months beforehand.

In the United States, where I will soon be heading, people begin positioning themselves for the presidency years in advance. I think that is healthy and beneficial for society.

Was Ülle Madise wrong not to say clearly back in July, when her name was put forward, whether or not she wanted to become president?

I find Ülle Madise an exceptionally likable person and she will make an excellent president if she is elected.

We have been in contact as needed since July and have had several very candid conversations. It is not my place to criticize her. She had her reasons, and in my view, she explained them convincingly to the public.

That does not change the fact, however, that we should have presidential candidates in place well before the election process has already reached its final stages.

We are conducting this interview before the first round of voting in the Riigikogu. Are you still campaigning and hoping the vote will fail so that your name might come back into play?

I am certainly not working to make the vote fail. Mentally, I am already very much in Washington. If the Riigikogu fails to elect a president despite the 75 signatures, that would create an entirely new situation. My position that I am prepared to serve Estonia as president has not changed. But am I actively working toward that right now? No.

Did you actively try to persuade people to support you over the summer?

I took calls from various senior politicians and met with quite a few of them. I also consulted people I know well, including members of the Riigikogu, to get a sense of the mood and how people were feeling.

At one point, it was also suggested that we start collecting signatures in the Riigikogu in support of my candidacy. But there was another strong candidate at the time, Tiit Land, so we decided that tactically, it did not make sense. That was the view of those who supported me and I agreed. So I never actually ran an active campaign.

Do you think Estonia's presidential elections should be more like those in other democracies where the candidates are generally politicians whose positions are known, rather than something we only find out after they have already been in office for some time?

One of the things I found most surprising was that even though I have been out of politics for more than seven years, left my party and publicly said that I would not run for any other office, many people still felt the need to portray me as some kind of "closet politician."

The fact is, we are not looking for a senior civil servant. We are looking for a head of state. The head of state is not a senior civil servant but a representative of the country and its people. And if you are looking for someone with foreign and security policy experience who also understands domestic politics, where are those people supposed to come from if not from among politicians or at least people who have been involved in politics at some point? Previous political experience certainly should not be disqualifying.

I think it is important to find someone who can bring people together, keep them together and unite them, as well as represent the Estonian people abroad with dignity. I believe I have those qualities.

If you are not elected president this time and Ülle Madise becomes president, how can we make sure that we do not end up in the same situation again five years from now?

This is not the first time the Republic of Estonia has found itself in this situation. But as soon as the president has been elected, the appetite for dealing with the issue disappears.

I think the president has a lot they can do here. If the next president recognizes and believes that we have a problem and that the current system is no longer adequate, they could do a great deal to help address the issue.

Politicians have other priorities before and after elections that seem more important at the time. A new Riigikogu will begin dealing with its own issues, the world around us will continue to evolve and new challenges will emerge.

I seriously doubt that anyone will start dealing with this issue today or tomorrow.

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