An indirect election is expected to take place in Estonia on 2 September 2026 to elect the president of Estonia, who will be the country's head of state.[1] Subsequent votes are to be held on 3 September in the Riigikogu and 26 September in the electoral college if necessary.[2]
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2 September 2026
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101 members of the Riigikogu 68 votes needed to win | |||
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Process
editBy law, the president of Estonia is indirectly elected. The Riigikogu has the task of electing the president in the first instance, in up to three rounds. If no candidate receives the required supermajority of two-thirds (68 votes out of 101), the election for president then moves to an electoral college consisting of 101 MPs and 107 representatives of local (municipal) governments. If the electoral college fails to achieve a majority in two rounds, the process is to return to the parliament yet again to restart.[3][4]
The incumbent Alar Karis has served one term and is eligible to be elected to a second consecutive term in office.
Candidates
editIndividuals must be nominated by one-fifth of the members of Riigikogu (21 MPs) in order to officially stand as candidates.[5]
As part of changes adopted before the election, candidates now are to be set up 12 to nine days before voting instead of four to two as before. Nominated candidates are also now expected to give a speech of up to 10 minutes detailing their positions.[6]
Declared
edit- Mart Helme, ex-leader of EKRE (2013-2020), former Minister of the Interior (2019-2020)[7]
Declined
editThe following individuals were rumored to run by the media, but ultimately did not declare candidacies:
- Alar Karis, incumbent President of Estonia (since 2021)[8][9]
Opinion polls
editAlthough the president is not elected by popular vote, there has been public opinion polling in order to study the candidates' popularity. All polled candidates to get less than 3% have been grouped under Others.
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample
size |
Karis Independent |
Kaljurand SDE |
Neivelt Independent |
Kaljulaid Independent |
Madise Independent |
Ratas Isamaa |
Helme EKRE |
Others | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norstat | 2 March 2026 | 1,001 | 41.6 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | – | 13.5 | 21.5 |
| Norstat | 12-13 May 2026 | 1,005 | 39.1 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 5.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 10 | 13.7 | 16.2 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ↑ ERR (2026-02-10). "Riigikogu presidential election votes set for early September". ERR. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ ERR, Iida-Mai Einmaa | (2026-02-26). "Erakonnad otsustasid presidendikandidaadi otsimisel rääkida kõigepealt Karisega". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ Köker, Philipp (2019). "The effects of majority requirements, selectorate composition and uncertainty in indirect presidential elections: the case of Estonia" (PDF). East European Politics. 35 (2): 238–258. doi:10.1080/21599165.2019.1604339. ISSN 2159-9165. S2CID 159312855.
- ↑ "President of the Republic of Estonia Elections | Elections in Estonia". www.valimised.ee. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ "President of the Republic of Estonia Elections". Vabariigi Valimiskomisjon. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ↑ ERR (2026-02-25). "Riigikogu võttis vastu presidendi valimise seaduse muudatused". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ ERR, ERR | (2026-05-02). "EKRE nominates Mart Helme its presidential candidate". ERR. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ ERR, ERR | (2025-11-07). "President: It would take a small miracle to convince me to run for a second term". ERR. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ↑ ERR, ERR | (2026-06-23). "President Alar Karis will not run for second presidential term". ERR. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
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