Estonia’s opposition Center Party has long argued for closer ties with Moscow, but presidential candidate Mailis Reps has broken with that tradition, declaring herself “no friend of Russia.” In the shadow of Moscow’s aggression in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, the largely symbolic Estonian presidency has gained weight partly thanks to incumbent Toomas Hendrik Ilves’ strong arguments for the European Union and NATO to stand by Estonia and its Baltic neighbors. On August 29, the 101 members of Estonia’s parliament gather to vote for a new president. As it is unlikely to produce a clear two-thirds majority for any of the three declared candidates, a 335-strong electoral college of MPs and local leaders will likely be summoned in September to make the choice. According to a poll of MPs for the daily Postimees, the two leading contenders would be former prime minister and European commissioner Siim Kallas and Reps of the Center Party — and relations with Russia would be at the center of the debate.
One of Moscow’s justifications for its expansionist policies along its borders is the alleged need to protect such minorities. “There’s this idea about changing our relations with Russia to make Russia a better friend,” said Andres Anvelt, head of Ilves’ Social Democrats, who are the junior partners in the ruling coalition to Kallas’ Estonian Reform Party.
About a quarter of Estonia’s 1.3 million people are Russian-speakers, largely descendants of settlers who moved there during five decades of Soviet occupation. Their lack of integration — they watch Russian TV, follow Moscow politics and hold Russian passports — is a cause of concern to many ethnic Estonians, especially since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Full Article: Russia casts shadow over Estonia’s presidential vote – POLITICO.