Estonia, Legislation

The chairman of the National Elections Committee Heiki Sibul signed the protocol regarding the elections result. According to the protocol, Ilves received 73 votes of 101 MPs, contender Indrek Tarand received 25 votes.

Two ballots were declared invalid and one cast ballot was not marked.

Speaker of Riigikogu Ene Ergma noted that the Parliament was successful in electing the President of the Republic. She congratulated Ilves on behalf of Riigikogu.

"It's the first time the president was elected in the first round in parliament," Ilves told parliament just after the votes were counted. "I'm ready to serve Estonia and all its people".

This was the first time the President of the Republic was elected in Riigikogu. During previous elections, the matter had been referred to the electoral body consisting of 101 MPs and representatives of local governments as the Parliament had not managed to guarantee a necessary majority of votes to any candidate.

Born in Sweden to parents who fled the 1940 Soviet occupation of Estonia, Ilves, who has spent the better part of his life in the United States, Canada, and Germany, is the first Baltic head of state to be born in exile. He originally took office in October 2006. Ilves, who is fluent in English, German and Spanish in addition to his native Estonian, was elected to the European parliament, where he held the post of first vice-president of the foreign affairs committee.