Kaja Kallas officially resigned as Estonia’s prime minister Thursday, bringing her government to an end. But she already has new coalition partners in place.
On June 3, Kallas kicked the left-leaning Center Party out of the two-party coalition after escalating tensions over spending and welfare policies.
The resignation of the prime minister was a formality needed in order to form a new government. In a statement, Kallas — who heads the center-right Reform Party — thanked the ministers with whom she led the country for one and a half years, saying that the coalition did “many good and great things” despite COVID-19, Russia’s war against Ukraine and the energy crisis.
Estonia’s first female prime minister has already reached an agreement with the Social Democrats and the small conservative Fatherland (“Isamaa”) party to form a new government. The three-party coalition will have 56 seats in the 101-seat parliament.
An extraordinary sitting of parliament is scheduled for Friday at which Kallas will ask for a mandate to govern with the new partners.
President Alar Karis said in a tweet that he hoped “the new government can start its activities already next week.”
The next general election in Estonia is set for March 2023.
