Estonia's parliament to vote for new president on September 2

Members of the parliament will meet on September 2 to elect Estonia's next head of state, the Riigikogu announced on Wednesday.

The Speaker of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) has called an extraordinary session on the first Tuesday of September to elect a new head of state after a proposal by President Alar Karis.

The meeting will take place at 12 noon, the Riigikogu said in a statement.

Estonia's president is elected by the parliament, not directly by the people. The past two presidents have only gathered enough support after several rounds of voting.

Candidates are not yet known and will be revealed later this summer. Only EKRE's Mart Helme, a former minister of the interior, has announced his intention to run so far.

Karis has said he will publicly discuss his decision to seek a second term or not around midsummer (June 24).

So far, the Center Party has backed Karis to continue in the role, but his support among the Reform-Eesti 200 is low.

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