The parliamentary parties' chairmen debate at the Opinion Festival in Paide touched on the presidential election, coronavirus measures, taxes, kindergarten fees, public transport and nationwide broadband.
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Tarmo Soomere's potential presidential candidacy is not completely off the radar, Riigikogu speaker Jüri Ratas (Center) says. Soomere had been an apparent compromise candidate for the two largest parties, Reform and Center, and had courted two of the three opposition parties, Isamaa and the Social Democrats, but effectively dropped out of the race late last week after reports that support was not high enough among the parties for him to get elected at the Riigikogu.
State money earmarked for an anti-abortion non-profit association last year has not been paid out. The €171,000 due to the organization, called Elu Marss (March of Life), is tied up in procedural matters, the interior ministry said Wednesday.
Center Party chair and Riigikogu speaker Jüri Ratas has reiterated that he has no intention of running for president at the end of August. While Ratas, a former prime minister, first announced he would not be in the race back in late May, remarks by his party's Riigikogu group chair Jaanus Karilaid recently rekindled speculation.