The president announced the Riigikogu elections

"The course which Estonia has maintained has by and large been the right one. Therein the most important aspect has been the preservation of our democratic state, our language and our culture over time, and the well-being of the people of Estonia. That is not something we can achieve on our own. We require allies who understand us and whom we ourselves understand. Those allies are NATO and the European Union. Time has shown that close cooperation with other countries does not threaten but instead protects Estonia and its culture. The need for allies is something we are feeling more acutely than ever at present, with Russia waging war on Ukraine. We need only think of our history, we need only think about who and where we are, and who we want to be, to understand that we can never be indifferent about that war. This war and the way in which it is resolved will have a lasting impact on the future of Estonia," said Karis.

"If we are no smarter after the election campaign than we are now, and if all we hear instead of debate is accusations and insults, then the intervening months will have been wasted," warned the president. "I have been nonplussed to hear that the result of the Riigikogu The unicameral parliament of Estonia. elections will be decided between the two most popular political parties. Estonia’s parliamentary elections are not a duel. I am not willing to view the election campaign and the elections themselves as a battle between two parties, with the other parties merely standing on the sidelines. Taking such a reductionist view narrows the choices available to the electorate and distorts the elections as a whole," said Karis. 

"A bipartisan system would make Estonia's domestic politics tedious and restrict its choices. As such, I urge people to stop dividing political parties up into major parties on whom everything depends and minor parties on whom nothing, or almost nothing, depends. The elections present an opportunity to everyone: voters to make their voices heard, and parties to prevail with their world views," said the president. 

The Riigikogu The unicameral parliament of Estonia. elections will take place on March 5, 2023. During preliminary voting from February 27 to March 4, it is also possible to vote electronically.