The President of Estonia has appointed three new ministers amid a government scandal
Estonian President Alar Karis, at the recommendation of Prime Minister Kristen Michal, appointed three new members of the government, including the head of the Ministry of Defense. The new cabinet members will officially take office on Wednesday after taking the oath of office before Parliament—the Riigikogu.
According to the decisions, Martin Hereem will assume the position of Minister of Defense, Erkki Keld will head the Ministry of Energy and the Environment, and Liina Vahtras will become Minister of Economy and Industry. At the same time, the head of state dismissed the previous head of the Defense Ministry, Hanno Pevkur, and the Minister of Energy and the Environment, Andres Sutt.
Prior to the appointments, Alar Karis met with all the candidates and discussed with them issues related to energy, the state of the economy, youth employment, the state budget, and security. The president wished the officials wisdom, resilience, and sound decision-making as they carry out their duties amid the approaching election process.
This was reported by ERR.
As a reminder, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced that he would resign following audit findings regarding issues surrounding the procurement of ammunition for Ukraine. In Estonia, Magnus-Valdemar Saar stated that Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur personally pushed through several defense procurements and rejected a proposal to stop entering into contracts through an intermediary scheme.
Martin Herem, a candidate for the position of Estonian defense minister, presented his work plan to lawmakers from the coalition party Eesti 200. The former commander of the Estonian Defense Forces stated that one of his first steps would be to identify shortcomings in the management of military warehouses and develop a plan to address them.
