The government of Prime Minister Kristen Michal has taken office and will hold its first sitting and cabinet meeting this Thursday, 25 July.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal took the oath of office in the Riigikogu this morning, after which the other members of the government also signed the oath. Taking of the oath was not attended by Hanno Pevkur, the current Minister of Defence, who is on a foreign visit to the US. Until then, the duties of the Minister of Defence will be fulfilled by the Minister of Finance. After taking the oath in the Riigikogu, Kristen Michal met with outgoing Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the staff of the Government Office.
The government of Michal, which is the 54th government of the Republic of Estonia, consists of 14 ministers, including the prime minister. These include ministers from the previous government – Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman, Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets, Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo, Minister of Health Riina Sikkut, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas, and Minister of Culture Heidy Purga. The new ministers are Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Minister of Climate Yoko Alender, Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet, Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo, and Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi.
The Estonian Reform Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the party Eesti 200 will continue to work as a coalition government to ensure security for the Estonian people and businesses. The common goal of the government is to ensure the security of Estonia, grow the economy, reduce social and regional inequalities, and ensure the financial sustainability of the state. More information about the aims of the government is available at https://valitsus.ee/koalitsioonilepe-2024-2027.
The government will gather for the first time for a sitting on Thursday, 25 July, at 10 a.m., followed by a cabinet meeting.
The composition of the government and the biographies of the ministers can be found at https://valitsus.ee/vabariigi-valitsuse-54-koosseis.
Photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/albums/72177720319055618/
Source: Estonian Government
