Estonia to get first female Prime Minister as government deal clinched

Estonia’s two biggest political parties came up with a deal to form a new government which will be led by a female Prime Minister for the first time in the country’s history. This comes after the previous cabinet collapsed due to a corruption scandal. Both the parties then voted in favour of joining a Cabinet headed by Reform’s Prime Minister-designate and chairwoman Kaja Kallas.

Current situation in Estonia 

Both the parties have agreed to have seven ministerial portfolios in addition to Kallas’ Prime Minister's post in the 15-member government. The joint statement by both the parties said that the Reform Party and the Center Party “will form a government that will continue to effectively resolve the COVID-19 crisis, keep Estonia forward-looking and develop all areas and regions of our country”. This comes after Estonia's Prime Minister resigned  over a corruption scandal involving a key official of his Center Party. The official is also suspected of  accepting a private donation for the party in exchange for a political favor on a real estate deal.

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(Chairwoman of the Reform Party Kaja Kallas arrives at a polling station during a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia. President Kersti Kaljulaid said Thursday Jan. 14, 2021, in a statement that Kaja Kallas would now have 14-days to put together a new Cabinet, after Prime Minister Juri Ratas stepped down in the wake of a corruption scandal. Image Credits: AP)

According to the reports by AP, earlier, President Kersti Kaljulaid said that the new government’s immediate priority should be tackling the coronavirus situation and the economic turmoil which has been fueled by the pandemic. Kaljulaid is also expected to appoint Kallas’ Cabinet in the coming days. Kallas will become the first female head of government in Estonia. 

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She is the daughter of Siim Kallas, who is one of the Reform Party’s creators, a former prime minister and a former European Union commissioner. Also, the upcoming Prime Minister is a lawyer and a former European Parliament lawmaker. She took the reins at the Reform Party in 2018.

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(Image Credits: AP)