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 on Tuesday morning.
The president’s term ends this autumn, and Karis had promised to confirm around Midsummer whether or not he intended to run again.
Speaking to ERR after the speech, he said: “This decision was not made today, or a month ago, or even a couple of years ago. The question was always when to make this decision public so that it would not interfere with day-to-day work.”
Karis said that he decided not to run for personal reasons. “Certainly one reason is also that when I took office, I promised my family that it would be one term,” the president added.
Read more: ERR.EE
