President and previous justice chancellor Ülle Madise has nominated Kask for the seven-year post, which is appointed by the Riigikogu. Parliamentary groups plan to meet with him before making their decision.

Kask said he took time to consider the offer, given the importance of the issues handled by the office. He plans to focus on social rights, particularly where people struggle to defend their interests or take cases to court, as well as protecting democracy and the rule of law.

"It's important to me that the institution of the Chancellor of Justice not be political," Kask said. Political questions, he added, should be left to the Riigikogu and the government to decide.

Kask has worked at the Ministry of Justice, served as a Tallinn Circuit Court judge and chaired the National Electoral Committee (VVK). He is currently a Supreme Court justice serving on the court's Administrative Law Chamber.

Riigikogu parliamentary groups have outlined several priorities for their meetings with him.

Isamaa MP Lea Danilson-Järg pointed to the state's obligations to citizens, including 2,000 people waiting for special care services. "The state has failed to meet its obligations there," she said.

Danilson-Järg also cited the official status and role of the Estonian language as another party priority.

Transparency and quality

The Social Democrats (SDE) want the justice chancellor to continue working on data protection issues. Party leader Lauri Läänemets said growing volumes of personal data must be protected without obstructing law enforcement.

"We don't need haste here; we need balanced and considered decisions," he said.

Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) MP Anti Poolamets said Kask must demonstrate the office's independence and commitment to fundamental rights — "with conviction, not just as a formality."

He also called for safeguarding the transparency of online voting and the ability to file election complaints.

Reform Party MP Madis Timpson, chair of the Riigikogu's Legal Affairs Committee, said the justice chancellor's focus should be on better laws, not more of them.

"We need better-written legal provisions and a state where everyone can understand they aren't being subjected to unjustified restrictions," Timpson explained.

The parliamentary groups are scheduled to meet with Kask the week after next.

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