2021: A high-stakes presidential election
(ERR)
"Not only high in terms of finding the ideal president, but, as sad as it may be for the Estonian political observer, the stakes are very high in the respect of the present coalition parties needing to find an agreement with each other.” said political observer and consultant Andreas Kaju.”
—
“While Kersti Kaljulaid is not in the running this time, she could run for a later term or terms – unlike the U.S., multiple terms are permissible, though may not go beyond two if they are consecutive.”
No EstoNews next week due to the
Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S.
Next newsletter will go out 4. Dec.
This Week’s Cover Photo:
Latest COVID cases in Baltics:
- 364 in Estonia
- 380 in Latvia
- 2,272 in Lithuania
(BNN)
“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet
— Friday 20. November —
Bubble trouble: Estonia and the coronavirus crisis
(ECFR)
“With the advent of the second wave, the medical situation in all three Baltic countries is changing quickly and, therefore, demands some flexibility from them to adequately handle the crisis.”
“73 % of Estonian residents find that the EU must have greater competences for combating the pandemic.” - Baltic Times
“Study: Coronavirus First Emerged in Italy Sept. 2019.” - National Interest
“Sweden bans public events of more than eight people.” - @thelocalsweden
“Russia has Suffered 254,000 Deaths from Pandemic.” - Paul Goble
Mailis Reps lahkub ministriametist
(ERR)
“Mailis Reps kirjutab Facebookis, et võtab poliitilise vastutuse oma eksimuste eest töö- ja pereelu ühitamisel ning otsustas haridusministri ametikohalt tagasi astuda.”
Eesti loodus on jäänud enam kui saja liigi võrra vaesemaks
(Postimees)
“Tänapäeval on peamised liikide väljasuremise põhjused seotud inimtegevusega.”
Covid disrupts Finland's 700-year-old Christmas Peace tradition
(Yle)
“The Turku tradition has been in place for nearly 700 years and has only been called off by war and civil unrest.”
Belarusian Opposition Leader Kalesnikava's Detention Extended
(RFERL)
“Maryya Kalesnikava was snatched from the streets of Minsk in September.”
Turkey’s Crisis with the West: How a New Low in Relations Risks Paralyzing NATO
(War on the Rocks)
“NATO’s most important challenge today may not come from Russia, but from within. With the number of disputes between Turkey and several European allies yet again on the rise, the two parties’ souring relations have begun undermining the organization’s cohesion and ability to make timely collective decisions. If left unaddressed, these tensions could cause serious damage to the world’s most powerful alliance.”
— Thursday 19. November —
"Pealtnägija" uuris, kellest võiks 2021. aastal saada Eesti president
(ERR)
“Vähem kui aasta pärast algavad Eestis presidendivalimised. Kristjan Pihl uuris "Pealtnägijas", milliseid kombinatsioone läbi mängitakse ja kellest võiks saada Eesti Vabariigi kuues president.”
Tallinna Raekoja platsile tuleb jõuluturg
(Pealinn)
“Loomulikult jõuluturg tuleb, kuid veidi väiksemas mahus. Väiksema mahu all pean ma silmas seda, et kui meil on olnud 27 laadamajakest, siis sel korral tuleb 9 majakest koos nelja müüjaga," ütles Kesklinna vanem Monika Haukanõmm.”
Science-based forest management is Estonia’s key contribution to combating climate change
(Estonian World)
“In order to reach a national consensus on this topic, the various stakeholders must engage in fair discourse, seeking compromise and common ground. To support public debate, the statistical data on Estonian forests and the larger industry provided by the public sector must be accurate and unambiguous in order to minimise the risk of misinterpretation.”
—
“Additionally, scientists also call on the government to allocate more resources to research and development activities related to forests and the forest industry in order to develop measures that enhance forest resilience and adaptation to climate change, while also boosting the local valorisation of renewable forest resources.”
Biden Knows Europe, and Europe Knows Biden. That’s Not Enough
(Foreign Policy)
“Biden is the most pro-European U.S. president since George H.W. Bush. He came of age during the administration of John F. Kennedy, and one can hear in his language the commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance and its principles—including support for a rules-based international order that favors freedom—that guided American foreign policy through successful post-World War II decades. The Europeans know him. He and his foreign-policy team rightfully seem determined to build on this legacy but to look forward, not back with nostalgia.”
“Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy and Russia.” - Carnegie Moscow
— Wednesday 18. November —
National Defense Council discussed Estonia-US relations
(Postimees)
“The president decided to call a meeting of the National Defense Council on November 8 after leaders of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) Mart Helme and Martin Helme called into question the fairness of Estonia’s e-elections and the last Riigikogu elections, as well as U.S. presidential elections. “For the first time during my term in office, I was compelled to convene the National Defense Council as a response to steps by our state which undermined the health of Estonian democracy and security,” President Kersti Kaljulaid said.
Estonian President seeks to avoid EKRE’s harm to Estonian-US relations
(BNN)
“Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has chaired a rare National Defence Council meeting and made an announcement seeking to repair the damage to Estonian-US relations possibly caused by former Estonian Interior Minister’s words …”
Estonia only member of EU, NATO to attack US election legitimacy
(Baltic Times)
“Estonia had been mentioned in US, British, German and French media on 270 occasions during the outgoing week. "The lion's share, that is 90 percent, was about the declarations by Estonia's finance minister (EKRE) and minister of the interior (EKRE) regarding the US presidential elections, in which they called Joe Biden a corrupt dirt bag that can be blackmailed, and claimed that there is no doubt that the US election outcome had been falsified.”
EKRE: The Tale Of Two Estonias
(UpNorth)
“Estonia has rightfully earned its status as a global leader in digital governance and innovation.”
—
“However, in March 2019, the e-Estonia project faced a setback, when a marginal neo-fascist political party, was unexpectedly thrust into the national spotlight by current PM Juri Ratas. His populist Center Party, having come in second in the general election, eschewed a coalition with the winning centrist Reform Party. Determined to remain in power, Ratas entered into a coalition with the far-right Estonian Conservative Peoples’ Party (EKRE) – which, in addition to sharing Putin’s homophobic and xenophobic positions, also has members who believe Adolf Hitler “did some positive things.”
Is "Trumpism" likely in Latvia?
(Latvian Broadcasting)
“Latvia has very low confidence in the Saeima, government, parties and politicians. 70% of those surveyed by SKDS, prior to the previous Saeima elections, expressed the view that those who have never been in politics should come to power. And indeed, in the 13th Saeima elections, most deputies were replaced. …”
The Abortion Protests in Poland Are Starting to Feel Like a Revolution
By Masha Gessen, The New Yorker
“Since October 22nd, hundreds of thousands across Poland have been protesting—in five hundred and eighty cities and towns, by one organizer’s count. In some places, including the town of Kościerzyna, population twenty-four thousand, more than ten per cent of residents have taken to the streets. The umbrella term for the protests is “Women’s Strike,” though it’s not just women participating, and it’s not exactly a strike.”
— Tuesday 17. November —
EU in crisis over Hungary and Poland’s €1.8T hold-up
(Politico-EU)
“Hungary and Poland blocked the EU's historic €1.82 trillion budget-and-recovery package on Monday, setting off what top officials and diplomats branded an institutional crisis with no evident path out of the stalemate. Even for Brussels, which often sees itself as never better than when managing an emergency, the crisis over the carefully-negotiated response to the coronavirus crisis seemed to confront the bloc with one crisis too many.”
“Germany Needs to End Hungary and Poland’s Blackmail.” - Carnegie Europe
“Time to call Hungary and Poland’s bluff.” - Politico-Europe
Europe’s Biden bind: Stick with US or go it alone?
(Politico-Europe)
“Joe Biden's U.S. election victory has triggered renewed debate across the Atlantic over Europe's role on the world stage.”
“The World Is Never Going Back to Normal.” - The Atlantic
Belarus: Lukashenko’s Vicious Circle
(Carnegie Moscow Center)
“Never in the modern history of Belarus have the siloviki, or security services, played such a large role at the top of government. Their support has enabled President Alexander Lukashenko to survive the peak of the political crisis that engulfed the country following the contested presidential election back in August. But the presence in government of so many security officials is causing new problems. As the crisis continues, Lukashenko needs to retain the loyalty of his generals from various agencies while keeping them all under control. He must strike a balance, neither allowing them to go soft, nor to acquire any excessive ambition.”
“Work of Russian Propagandists in Belarus Backfiring Because Belarusians aren’t Russians.” - Paul Goble
Russia moves to protect Putin from prosecution
(BBC)
“The Russian parliament's lower house - the Duma - has backed a bill granting Russian presidents and their families immunity from criminal prosecution after they leave office. It is among constitutional amendments approved in a referendum in July. Supporters of President Vladimir Putin dominate both houses of parliament.”
— Monday 16. November —
Biden võtab suuna suhtlusele Euroopaga
(ERR)
“USA uus president Joe Biden erineb Donald Trumpist suuresti rahvusvahelistes suhetes käitumise poolest, võttes suuna Euroopa poole, arutlesid president Toomas Hendrik Ilves ja Euroopa Välissuhete Nõukogu vanemekspert Kadri Liik Vikerraadio saates “Välistund"."
Ameerika eriväelased lendasid kopteritega Rootsist Eestisse
(Postimees)
“Eesti õhutulejuhtide ja Ühendriikide eriväelaste koostööharjutus leidis aset Harjumaal kaitseväe keskpolügoonil. Kaitseväe peastaap teatas, et peamine rõhk oli lähiõhutuletoetusel. See tagati F-15 hävitajatega.”
Estonian MP: Risk of conflict with govt makes work of diplomats difficult
(Baltic Times)
"They (diplomats) are our front-line players, whose task is to keep us away from conflicts and at the same time create opportunities to make Estonia bigger and more visible in this competitive world. This is not an easy task at all, especially now that the conscience sometimes says one thing, but the government wants something else.”
Number of people seeking asylum in Estonia drops in 2020
(ERR)
“Numbers applying for asylum rose from 2015 with the start of the European migration crisis, with a total of 337 settled in Estonia and issued with a temporary residence permit, including family members, on the basis of requiring international protection.”
—
“The number of people staying at Estonia's two refugee centers, at Vao, Lääne-Viru County and Vägeva, Jõgeva County, was reported at 28 last month, less than half the figure a year earlier.”
Estonia ready to join creation of Crimean Platform
(Unian)
“Kyiv will host the Crimean Platform Summit in May 2021.”
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