Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform Party) said Thursday that she will not accept any offer as lead candidate for Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE)/Renew Europe at this June's European Parliament elections, APA reports citing ERR News.
Each European party picks a lead candidate, usually using the German term Spitzenkandidat, who would be that party's notional European Commission president.
Kallas said: "I have considered this proposal very thoroughly, and it has both pros and cons. But I have informed the ALDE leadership of my decision not to take up the role," Kallas said at the government's regular Thursday press conference.
Underlying Kallas' decision, she said, was a desire to continue in office as prime minister of Estonia.
"It would be challenging to explain that I am a lead candidate, yet at the same time not actually running for the European Parliament," she said. "Running for a half-win would be unfair," Kallas, who was an MEP 2014-2019, went on.
In any case, the offer of the lead candidate role was already a victory of sorts, and certainly a great recognition for Estonia as a whole, as well as for herself and the government she heads up, Kallas went on.
"It's likely a sign that we've been doing something right," she noted.
While taking up the offer would have led to a wider audience for Estonia, given the round of pan-European debates being a lead candidate entails, Kallas said, there are other ways of accomplishing that goal.
Polling day in Estonia is Sunday, June 9.
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