- Title: New Estonian government sworn into office
- Date: 23rd November 2016
- Summary: TALLINN, ESTONIA (NOVEMBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** EXTERIOR OF ESTONIAN PARLIAMENT ESTONIAN FLAG PARLIAMENT SESSION ROOM UPCOMING PRIME MINISTER JURI RATAS ARRIVING AT PARLIAMENT SESSION ROOM MEMBERS OF OUTGOING GOVERNMENT TAKING SEATS PRESIDENT OF ESTONIA KERSTI KALJULAID ARRIVING KALJULAID SEATED DURING PARLIAMENT SESSION PRIME MINISTER JURI RATAS WALKING TO GIVE OATH RATAS READING PRIME MINISTERS OATH CAMERAMAN RATAS SIGNING OATH VARIOUS OF MINISTER OF DEFENCE MARGUS TSAHKNA SIGNING OATH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT APPLAUDING MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SVEN MIKSER SIGNING OATH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT APPLAUDING VARIOUS OF RATAS WITH HIS CABINET STANDING IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT KALJULAID CONGRATULATING RATAS AND OTHER MINISTERS OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER TAAVI ROIVAS HANDING FLOWERS TO RATAS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SHAKING HANDS WITH MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT VARIOUS OF GOVERNMENT POSING FOR FAMILY PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHERS RATAS TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER, JURI RATAS, SAYING: "The main change will be about our economy. We know very well that we change our tax system. And of course for our country a quite big question and issue is that a lot of our people are moving abroad and it means that we need every people here in Estonia". FLAGS OF EU AND ESTONIA
- Embargoed: 8th December 2016 16:47
- Keywords: Estonia parliament swearing-in government
- Location: TALLINN, ESTONIA
- City: TALLINN, ESTONIA
- Country: Estonia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00159O0E9L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Juri Ratas, chairman of the traditionally pro-Russian Centre Party on Wednesday (November 23) took an oath in front of the Estonian parliament as the new government leader.
Along with swearing an oath of the new government, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid officially released former head of government Taavi Roivas.
The government coalition has 56 votes in the 101 seat parliament.
Ratas, who only very recently took over the chairmanship of his centre-left Centre Party, formed a new ruling coalition with two junior coalition partners, the Estonian Social Democratic party and the conservative-nationalist Pro Patria & Res Publica Union.
Each party has 5 minister seats in the new government.
"The main change will be about our economy. We know very well that we change our tax system. And of course for our country quite big question and issue is that a lot of our people are moving abroad and it means that we need every people here in Estonia," Ratas told reporters after the swearing-in session.
38-year-old Ratas replaced Roivas who lost a parliamentary vote of confidence on November 9 after his junior coalition partners deserted his Reform Party-led government after internal squabbling spit government and Roivas refused to resign.
Under the previous Centre Party chairman Edgar Savisaar, the Centre Party flirted with a mild pro-Russian policy to help win the votes of ethnic Russians in Estonia which make up 25 percent of the country's 1.3 million inhabitants.
However, Ratas has yet to stamp any new policies on his party and has not got approval from the Centre Party's rank and file for change to his party platform. But, in an interview on the Estonian public broadcaster, he has played down an framework cooperation agreement with the Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party saying the agreement has been unused for several years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
