President of Estonia

President of the Republic of Estonia Eesti Vabariigi President
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Alar Karis since 11 October 2021
Style	Mr President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Type	Head of state
Residence	Presidential Palace
Appointer	Riigikogu / Electoral College (alternately until a candidate reaches the required majority)
Term length	5 years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Estonia
Inaugural holder	Konstantin Päts
Formation	24 April 1938; 86 years ago (1938-04-24)
Abolished	1940–1991
Salary	€6,661.77 monthly[1]
Website	president.ee

The President of the Republic of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti Vabariigi President) is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current President is Alar Karis since 11 October 2021.

Presidents of Estonia

#	Portrait	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party	Birth and Death
1		Konstantin Päts	24 April 1938	23 July 1940	Patriotic League	b. 23 February 1874, Tahkuranna d. 18 January 1956, Burashevo, Kalinin Oblast, USSR
			1938 – I round – elected by the Electoral Assembly (parliament and municipal appointees) with 219 of 238 votes (92.0%).
2		Lennart Meri	6 October 1992	8 October 2001	Pro Patria National Coalition	b. 29 March 1928, Tallinn d. 14 March 2006, Tallinn
			1992 – II round – elected by the parliament with 59 of 101 votes (58.4%). 1996 – V round – elected by the Electoral Assembly (parliament and municipal appointees) with 196 of 372 votes (52.7%).
3		Arnold Rüütel	8 October 2001	9 October 2006	People's Union of Estonia	b. 10 May 1926, Laimjala Parish, Saare County d. 31 December 2024, Tallinn
			2001 – V round – elected by the Electoral Assembly (parliament and municipal appointees) with 186 of 366 votes (50.8%).
4		Toomas Hendrik Ilves	9 October 2006	10 October 2016	Social Democratic Party	b. 26 December 1953, Stockholm, Sweden
			2006 – IV round – elected by the Electoral Assembly (parliament and municipal appointees) with 174 of 345 votes (50.4%). 2011 – I round – elected by the parliament with 73 of 101 votes (72.3%).
5		Kersti Kaljulaid	10 October 2016	11 October 2021	Independent	b. 30 December 1969, Tartu
			2016 – VI round – elected by the parliament with 81 of 101 votes (80.2%).
6		Alar Karis	11 October 2021	Incumbent	Independent	b. 26 March 1958, Tartu
			2021 – II round – elected by the parliament with 72 of 101 votes (71.3%).

Living former presidents

There are two living former Estonian presidents:

• 
  Toomas Hendrik Ilves
  (2006–2016)
  (1953-12-26) December 26, 1953 (age 71)
• 
  Kersti Kaljulaid
  (2016–2021)
  (1969-12-30) December 30, 1969 (age 55)

The most recent President to die was Arnold Rüütel, who died on December 31, 2024.

References

1. Mihhailov, Sergei (19 March 2021). "Tippametnike ja -poliitikute palk tõuseb aprillist umbes saja euro võrra" (in Estonian). ERR. Retrieved 11 October 2021.

Other websites

• President of Estonia – official website Archived 2006-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
• Website of former President Lennart Meri