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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Wednesday, 24.04.2024, 17:43

Estonian future government coalition agrees upon distribution of ministerial seats

BC, Tallinn, 18.03.2014.Print version
The Estonian Reform Party and Social Democratic Party (SDP) agreed on Monday during the ongoing government coalition talks that the Reform Party will get 8 and SDP 6 seats in the new government while the regional minister's post will be abolished and two ministerial seats will be created in both the social ministry and economy and communications ministry, LETA/Postimees Online reports.

In the new government, the Reform Party will have the posts of prime minister, foreign minister, interior minister, finance minister, health and labour minister, environment minister, foreign trade and entrepreneurship minister and culture minister. Social Democrats will have the posts of defence minister, social welfare minister, economy and infrastructure minister, education and science minister, agriculture minister and justice minister as well as Riigikogu speaker's position.

 

As compared to the previous government coalition of Reform Party and Pro Patria and Res Publica Party (Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit – IRL), the Reform Party preserves the seats of prime, foreign, finance, environment and culture ministers. So far the party also had the social minister's seat but in the new government it will get just a part of that, i.e. health and labour minister's portfolio. In addition it will take interior minister's and foreign trade and entrepreneurship minister's positions while giving to the partner the portfolio of justice minister.

 

The Reform Party board discusses appointing the ministerial candidates in the second half of this week or the beginning of the next. SDPs candidates should be appointed in the next few days.

 

Reform Party prime ministerial candidate Taavi Rõivas told the press after the coalition talks that the parties wish to make state governance more dynamic at the example of Finland and enable ministers to govern areas that might not coincide strictly with the boundaries of ministries. "We won't change the number of ministries but now and in the future the governments will be able to appoint ministers with equal rights according to what the priorities of the governments are," he said.

 

Rõivas said that the priorities of the Reform Party and SDP are connected to social and economic issues and thus two ministers are planned to lead both ministries.

 

The economy and infrastructure minister will work on transport, domestic market, energy and communications and foreign trade and entrepreneurship minister with economic development and foreign trade spheres. Health and labour minister will work on healthcare and labour market while the social welfare minister will take care of family policy, pensions, welfare and equal rights issues.

 

 

SDE's chairman Sven Mikser explained that the new government structure was discussed already with Siim Kallas, when he was Reform Party's prime ministerial candidate. They agreed that Estonia's governance model and government structure is too rigid and in EU's context, the administrative spheres of some ministries are too wide.

 

"This doesn’t mean that we would like to create more bureaucracy, make governance more expensive, on the contrary, our coalition agreement prescribes cutting governance costs quite considerably," said Mikser.

 

Till the corresponding changes are made in the government law, the economy and communications minister's and social minister's portfolios go to SDP and Reform Party's ministers will be appointed to the same ministries as ministers without a portfolio.


Mikser said that he will most likely have the defence minister's portfolio in the new government. He was a defence minister also in 2002-2003.

 

Reform Party and SDP will sign their coalition agreement on Thursday. Rõivas is likely to deliver his report on formation of the government to the parliament on Monday and after the parliament supports his candidature, will have to submit the new government to the president in 7 days. The president has 3 days to appoint the new government.






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