Estonia’s ruling party has chosen Climate Minister Kristen Michal to replace outgoing leader Kaja Kallas as the Baltic country’s new prime minister.
On Saturday, the center-right Estonian Reform Party elected the climate minister, Kristen Michalto replace outgoing Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, new High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The unanimous decision to appoint Michal It was taken after a closed-door meeting of the party’s Board of Directors, just two days after Kallas was proposed as the new head of EU foreign policy.
Michal’s appointment must be approved by the Estonian President and Parliament. He has been Minister of Climate Affairs since April of last year and has been a member of the Reform Party since the late nineties. He is currently 48 years old.
Departure of Kallas and state of the Government in Estonia
Kallas, Estonia’s first female Prime Minister since January 2021, currently heads a three-party coalition government. Under her leadership, the Reform Party won an overwhelming victory in the 2023 general elections.
Under Kallas, Estonia has been one of the European countries that has supported Ukraine the most after the Russian invasion that began in 2022.
