Lennart Meri was re-elected president of Estonia in 1996
Estonian President Lennart Meri was re-elected for a second term on September 20, 1996, in the decisive round of the Electoral College. He received 196 votes against 126 for his opponent Arnold Rüütel, ERR News reports.
Parliamentary voting did not determine a winner
Initially, the Riigikogu tried to elect the president. Meri and Rüütel ran in the parliamentary rounds. Meri received 45 votes in the first round, 49 in the second and 52 in the third, but 68 votes were required to win. For the first time, Estonia's presidential election proceeded to the Electoral College.
The Electoral College then consisted of 374 people: 101 members of the Riigikogu and 273 representatives of local councils. A candidate required the support of at least 21 members of the college to be nominated. In the first round, Meri received 136 votes, Rüütel 85, and Tunne Kelam 76. Meri and Rüütel advanced to the decisive vote.
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Support from local representatives
Meri's campaign manager, Rain Rosimannus, recalled that the campaign team had expected in advance that the election would be held in the Electoral College and had relied on the president's trips to the regions and contacts with local government representatives. According to him, the Reform Party and the Moderates formed the core of Meri's support in parliament and the Electoral College.
Former Estonian Minister of Culture Jaak Allik, who was a member of the Coalition Party at the time, believed that Prime Minister Tiit Vähi's position played an important role in the outcome. He stated that local government representatives linked to the Coalition Party in the Electoral College supported Meri, while representatives of the Rural Union voted for Rüütel.
Meri was 67 years old at the time of his re-election. In his farewell speech on October 8, 2001, he advocated a transition to direct elections of the head of state, but Estonia's president is still elected by parliament or the Electoral College under the procedure in force in 1996.
