ESTONIA'S NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS(C-RE8-00759)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TALLINN 000403 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR EN SUBJECT: ESTONIA'S NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS(C-RE8-00759) CLASSIFIED BY ADCM JAMES LAND for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). REF: STATE 86326 ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Estonia's post-Soviet political landscape has been characterized by youthful leadership. Beginning with the first post-independence Estonian government of Mart Laar in 1992 to the current Andrus Ansip government elected in 2007, young and influential decision makers have been a common element of the Estonian political elite. Ushered into power through a policy designed to cleanse the political echelons of ties to its communist past, many of Estonia's current politicians have been in power since the early 1990s. Still young, many of these politicians are likely to remain as key figures for many years to come. At the same time, there are a number of note-worthy up-and- comers making their mark on Estonian politics. Seven of these rising stars are highlighted in this cable. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) In 1992, the then 32 year old Mart Laar became the first post-independence Prime Minister. Laar formed a cabinet of young politicians, with an average age of 30-35 years. This youthful Laar cabinet broke the network of the Soviet-era nomenklatura by appointing new, untainted, young civil service department heads. The succeeding governments of Andres Tarand (1994),Tiit Vahi (1995),Mart Siimann (1997),Siim Kallas (2002) and Juhan Parts (2003) followed a similar trend. In the current government of Prime Minster Andrus Ansip, elected in April 2007, nine of the eleven cabinet members are under the age of fifty; three ministers are under thirty-five. ¶3. (C) Many of these young ministers have remained key figures in Estonian politics. Sven Mikser, who became Minister of Defense in 2002 when he was only 28 years old, is one of Estonia's leading foreign policy experts. In his second term in Parliament, Mikser is Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and was recently elected as a vice-president to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Kristina Ojuland, a young Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2002-2005, is a Vice-President of Parliament. Even Prime Minister Mart Laar, one of Estonia's 'elder statesmen' at 46 years old, is still active after two terms as Prime Minister. Laar is an MP, Chairman of the Pro Patria Res Publica (IRL) Party and will likely make a bid for Estonia's Commissioner position in the EU next year (a position currently held by former PM and political rival Siim Kallas.) ¶4. (C) These relatively young decision-makers are likely to maintain their influential presence in Estonian politics for many years to come. In practical terms, this leaves few spots for up-and-comers to make their mark. At the same time, the Estonian political environment continues to encourage/foster the emergence of young, motivated leaders. The 2007 parliamentary elections saw the rise of a new cadre of young political elites, many of them, despite their young age, endowed with a wealth of previous leadership experience. In particular, there are seven newly-minted MPs that appear poised to join the ranks of Estonia's core leadership. --Keit Pentus joined the Reform Party in 1998, at the age of 22, first serving as the party's foreign secretary and then as advisor to Foreign Minister Kristina Ojuland in ¶2002. Pentus became a district elder for central Tallinn before becoming head of Prime Minister Andrus Ansip's office in 2005. When she was first elected to parliament in 2007, Pentus received one of the ten highest vote totals of any of the 101 members elected to the Riigikogu. Pentus is head of the Reform Party Faction in the parliament, is active on European affairs and has spoken out strongly in support of Estonia's participation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pentus is widely considered to be a future candidate for Reform Party chair and some observers have speculated she could become Estonia's first female prime minister. --Kadri Simson first joined the Center Party in 1995, at the age of 18. She quickly established herself within the party, serving as an advisor for the Tallinn City Council in 1999, advisor to then-Mayor Edgar Savisaar in 2001 and as Secretary General of the Center Party in 2007 before being elected to Estonian Parliament in 2007. During her time in parliament, Simpson has become a well-known vocal commentator for the Center Party on foreign policy - which stands in stark contrast to most Center Party members who take little interest in international affairs. Simpson regularly speaks out against Estonian involvement in Iraq. She has also vocally criticized GOE integration policies. She is positioning herself as a possible successor to Center Party chairman and figurehead Savisaar. TALLINN 00000403 002 OF 002 --Margus Tsahkna joined the Pro Patria Union in 2000, at the age of 23 and quickly rose through the ranks, serving as chairman of the Young Pro Patria and later the Pro Patria chapter in Tartu (Estonia's second largest city) before being named Secretary General of IRL in 2006 and elected to parliament in 2007. IRL plays an active role in shaping Estonian foreign policy (IRL holds the Minister of Defense portfolio in the cabinet) and Tsahkna, as Secretary General of the party, is a strong advocate of Estonia's membership in the EU and NATO. Tsahkna is also an influential voice in domestic politics, most recently speaking out in favor of maintaining conservative budget policies to keep Estonia on track to join the Eurozone in 2011-12. --Kristen Michal joined the Reform Party in 1996, at the age of 21, subsequently serving as an advisor to the Reform Party faction in both the Tallinn City Council and Riigikogu. Michal has also served as Head of the Office of the Minister of Regional Affairs and advisor to former Prime Minister Siim Kallas. Michal became Secretary General of Reform in 2003. He first served in parliament as a replacement MP in 2004 and again in 2005 and was elected back to Parliament in 2007, but relinquished his seat in order to focus on running the party. Michal is widely respected in the Reform party, but has often been criticized for being too impatient for work in the parliament, preferring the "hustle and bustle" of party planning and campaigning. Michal is a strident believer in neo-liberal economic policies including a low and flat tax rate, privatization and a "thin" state. --Juri Ratas, the Former Mayor of Tallinn, now at 29 is serving as Vice Speaker of Parliament. Ratas joined the Center Party in 2000 and was elected to the Parliament for the first time in 2007. He took his seat in the Parliament after Center Party Chairman Edgar Savisaar decided to reclaim his former position as Mayor of Tallinn. At 27, Ratas was the youngest mayor in Tallinn's history. Observers were initially skeptical whether Ratas could handle the responsibilities of being mayor. However, he quickly proved himself and won the respect of many politicians from other parties for his ability to broker compromises. In particular, Ratas is credited with completing the extension of the Tallinn-to-Tartu road, which faced resistance by the Green party. In Parliament, Ratas is credited in part with finalizing the detailed planning for the Liberty Square monument currently being erected in central Tallinn, a project which was discussed for more than 8 years in Parliament. Observers believe Ratas could be a successor to Center Party leader Savisaar. --Ott Lumi joined the Res Publica party in 2001, at the age of 23, subsequently serving as party political secretary and secretary general. In 2003, Lumi was appointed as an advisor to then-Prime Minister Juhan Parts and in 2006, as co-Secretary General of IRL with Margus Tsahkna. Lumi is widely respected within his party, but chooses to maintain a lower profile on the national scene. Although quiet, Lumi is regarded as extremely bright with an eye for detail. He is staunchly pro-U.S., pro-NATO and pro-EU and has been pro-active on social issues including HIV. --Silver Meikar joined the Reform Party in 1997, at the age of 21. He served on the Tartu City Council, as manager of the Tartu District of the Reform Party and foreign secretary of the Reform Party. He became a replacement MP 2003-04 and again from 2006-07 before being directly elected to a seat in 2007. Meikar is particularly vocal on human rights issues, most notably related to Belarus, Burma, China and Cuba and supporting the reform process in Ukraine and Georgia. In 2006, Meikar published the book "Diary of the Orange Revolution," based upon his experiences in Ukraine as an official election observer and a "participant" in the Orange Revolution, living in a tent in Kyiv. His extreme activism has earned him a few nicknames such as "revolution maker" (Ukraine), troublemaker and democracy watchdog. Meikar is likely to be a Reform party candidate in European Parliament elections in 2009. PHILLIPS