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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Estonia Gov't Collapses |
| 2005-03-22 |
| HT to Instaguy and Publius Pundit TALLINN, Estonia — Estonia's prime minister announced his resignation and dissolved his government Monday after lawmakers said they had no confidence in his justice minister because of a controversial anti-corruption plan. Prime Minister Juhan Parts, 38, said the government coalition could no longer effectively lead the ex-Soviet Baltic country of 1.4 million people. "The time of this government is over," Parts said in remarks to the Riikogu, or parliament, adding that his resignation would take effect Thursday. The unexpected move came after legislators approved a no-confidence motion against Justice Minister Ken-Marti Vaher. They had wanted Vaher to step down because of his unpopular proposal to set up a system of quotas for the number of corruption cases regional prosecutors would have to meet annually. The prime minister has stood by Vaher, praising his work and saying he did nothing to deserve losing his post. The no-confidence motion was approved by 54 legislators, with 32 abstaining and 15 absent. After Parts' resignation takes effect, President Arnold Ruutel will have two weeks to nominate a prime minister, who then would have to present a Cabinet to parliament for approval. Parts, who leads the Res Publica party, told reporters Monday afternoon he would work to form a new government. "Work is in progress, there is much to do, and at present the president holds the reins to give powers to the right person," he said, voicing the hope the next government will manage to steer Estonia until general elections scheduled for 2007. He said Res Publica, the Reform Party and the Pro Patria Union could try to forge a new center-right coalition. "Our values are some distance apart, but I wouldn't say it's impossible. We are Christians, we have to know how to forgive, and time is bound to take care of everything," the outgoing premier said. Parts took office two years ago and helped shepherd Estonia into the European Union and NATO, which the country joined last year. He had pledged to bring a new style of politics to the country - more open, honest and responsible. He also said he would have zero tolerance for corrupt officials, but many lawmakers said they believed Vaher's proposed quota system harkened back to the Soviet era. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #2 If I had a 1000 Lira for everytime an Italian government collapsed......[insert your own snarky comment here]. |
| Posted by: Hupising Cliting6229 2005-03-22 9:19:38 PM |
| #1 I know it's a completely different form of government, but the idea of dissolving the government is wonderful. Ronald Reagan Centre stage holding a beaker of acetone: "We start dissolving the government in 5 minutes, we're finished with the cartoon." |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 7:00:50 PM |