Alar Karis sworn in as 5th Estonian President, aims to make Estonia 'most educated nation'

A former state auditor, Alar Karis, on Monday, 11 October, was elected as Estonia’s fifth president since the country’s independence in 1991. Karis took the oath of office in Estonia’s Parliament and said that as president, he intends to be a “balancer”, and if necessary, a “mediator”. In his first speech, the newly minted president touched upon a broad spectrum of topics ranging from the need for Estonia to maintain good relations with its allies to his desire for a strong and united Europe. 

“I am honoured to make my first remarks as president of the Republic of Estonia in this, our country’s most hallowed chamber,” Karis said while addressing Estonia’s Parliament. 

According to Xinhua, Karis won the presidency with 72 votes of the required 68 in the second round of voting held in the nation’s 101-member Parliament on 31 August. Now, as the President, he will mostly represent the country abroad and act as a domestic opinion leader. He is now the supreme commander of Estonia’s armed forces as well. He will formally appoint government members, sign laws to make them valid and additionally, he also has the power to veto law proposals. 

About the new president of the Republic of Estonia

The 63-year-old is a native of Tartu, the second-largest city in Estonia. Karis is a molecular geneticist and developmental biologist. He embarked on an academic career after graduating from the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu. In 1999, Karis became a professor in the aforementioned university and later the rector. 

Back in 2013, Karis was appointed as Estonia’s auditor. Moreover, after completing his tenure, he then became the director of the Estonian National Museum in 2017. The new President of the Republic has said that he will work in the areas he knows best and that are closest to his heart, namely education, science and innovation.  

Karis said, “Estonia must make it a priority to be an educated nation. We must set ourselves the goal of becoming the country with the most educated population, not just to be among the five most educated nations, but to be the most educated nation in the world. I think the prerequisites for that are there because if we look at our PISA results, Estonian young people are at the top of the ranking.”

(Image: Twitter)