List of heads of government of Estonia facts for kids
Estonia has had many important leaders who have guided the country since it first became independent in 1918. These leaders have held different titles over the years, like Chairman of the Council of Elders, Prime Minister, State Elder, and President-Regent. The job of Prime Minister first started in 1918.
From 1918 to 1934, Estonia used a system where the government, including the Prime Minister and later the State Elder, had to have the support of the parliament. This was a bit different from having a president as the main leader.
In 1934, a new constitution changed things. The State Elder became more like a president, and a separate Prime Minister was brought back. However, Konstantin Päts, who was the head of government at the time, took control in 1934. During his time in power, from 1934 to 1937, he held both the Prime Minister and State Elder roles. Later, in 1937, these two jobs were combined into one called President-Regent. But in 1938, the constitution changed again, and Konstantin Päts gave the Prime Minister job to someone new.
When the Soviet Union took over Estonia in 1940, Johannes Vares became the new Prime Minister. However, his government was later declared illegal. According to Estonia's 1938 constitution, if a President couldn't be chosen, the Prime Minister would lead the country. This rule was used by the Estonian Government in Exile, which continued to represent Estonia's legal government while the country was occupied. After Estonia regained its freedom, the role of Prime Minister was brought back in 1990.
Contents
List of Heads of Government
| Portrait | Name | Time in Office | Political Party | Cabinet | Riigikogu (Election) |
Separate Head of State |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Started | Ended | Days | |||||||
| — | Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Provisional Government |
24 February 1918 | 12 November 1918 | 440 | Country People's Union (EMRL) |
Päts I Provisional (Coalition) |
Provisional Provincial Assembly (1917) |
None | |
| Prime Minister of the Provisional Government |
12 November 1918 | 27 November 1918 | Päts II Provisional (Coalition) |
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| 27 November 1918 | 9 May 1919 | Päts III Provisional (Coalition) |
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| 1 | Otto August Strandman (1875–1941) 1st Prime Minister |
9 May 1919 | 18 November 1919 | 194 | Labour Party (ETE) |
Strandman I (Coalition) |
Constituent Assembly (1919) |
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| 2 | Jaan Tõnisson (1868–1941?) 2nd Prime Minister |
18 November 1919 | 28 July 1920 | 254 | People's Party (ERE) |
Tõnisson I (Coalition) |
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| 3 | Ado Birk (1883–1942) 3rd Prime Minister |
28 July 1920 | 30 July 1920 | 3 | People's Party (ERE) |
Birk (Coalition) |
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| 4 | Jaan Tõnisson (1868–1941?) 4th Prime Minister (2nd term) |
30 July 1920 | 26 October 1920 | 89 | People's Party (ERE) |
Tõnisson II (ERE) |
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| 5 | Ants Piip (1884–1942) 5th Prime Minister |
26 October 1920 | 20 December 1920 | 92 | Labour Party (ETE) |
Piip (ETE) |
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| 1st State Elder | 20 December 1920 | 25 January 1921 | |||||||
| — | Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) 2nd State Elder (2nd term) |
25 January 1921 | 21 November 1922 | 666 | Farmers' Assemblies (PK) |
Päts I (Coalition) |
I (1920) |
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| — | Juhan Kukk (1885–1942) 3rd State Elder |
21 November 1922 | 2 August 1923 | 255 | Labour Party (ETE) |
Kukk (Coalition) |
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| — | Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) 4th State Elder (3rd term) |
2 August 1923 | 26 March 1924 | 238 | Farmers' Assemblies (PK) |
Päts II (Coalition) |
II (1923) |
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| — | Friedrich Karl Akel (1871–1941) 5th State Elder |
26 March 1924 | 16 December 1924 | 266 | Christian People's Party (KRE) |
Akel (Coalition) |
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| — | Jüri Jaakson (1870–1942) 6th State Elder |
16 December 1924 | 15 December 1925 | 365 | People's Party (ERE) |
Jaakson (Coalition) |
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| — | Jaan Teemant (1872–1941?) 7th State Elder |
15 December 1925 | 23 July 1926 | 725 | Farmers' Assemblies (PK) |
Teemant I (Coalition) |
III (1926) |
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| 23 July 1926 | 4 March 1927 | Teemant II (Coalition) |
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| 4 March 1927 | 9 December 1927 | Teemant III (Coalition) |
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| — | Jaan Tõnisson (1868–1941?) 8th State Elder (3rd term) |
9 December 1927 | 4 December 1928 | 362 | People's Party (ERE) |
Tõnisson III (Coalition) |
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| — | August Rei (1886–1963) 9th State Elder |
4 December 1928 | 9 July 1929 | 218 | Socialist Workers' Party (ESTP) |
Rei (Coalition) |
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| — | Otto August Strandman (1875–1941) 10th State Elder (2nd term) |
9 July 1929 | 12 February 1931 | 584 | Labour Party (ETE) |
Strandman II (Coalition) |
IV (1929) |
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| — | Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) 11th State Elder (4th term) |
12 February 1931 | 19 February 1932 | 373 | Farmers' Assemblies (PK) |
Päts III (Coalition) |
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| — | Jaan Teemant (1872–1941?) 12th State Elder (2nd term) |
19 February 1932 | 19 July 1932 | 152 | Farmers' Assemblies (PK) |
Teemant IV (Coalition) |
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| United Farmers' Party (ÜPE) |
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| — | Karl August Einbund (later Kaarel Eenpalu) (1888–1942) 13th State Elder |
19 July 1932 | 1 November 1932 | 106 | United Farmers' Party (ÜPE) |
Einbund I (Coalition) |
V (1932) |
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| — | Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) 14th State Elder (5th term) |
1 November 1932 | 18 May 1933 | 199 | United Farmers' Party (ÜPE) |
Päts IV (Coalition) |
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| — | Jaan Tõnisson (1868–1941?) 15th State Elder (4th term) |
18 May 1933 | 21 October 1933 | 157 | National Centre Party (RKE) |
Tõnisson IV (Coalition) |
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| 6 | Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) 16th State Elder |
21 October 1933 | 24 January 1934 | 1,647 | Farmers' Assemblies (PK) |
Päts V (non-party coalition) |
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| 6th Prime Minister (in duties of the State Elder) |
24 January 1934 | 3 September 1937 | Prime Minister in duties of the State Elder Konstantin Päts |
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| None |
Parliament suspended |
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| President-Regent (6th term) |
3 September 1937 | 24 April 1938 | None | ||||||
| 7 | Kaarel Eenpalu (formerly Karl August Einbund) (1888–1942) Acting Prime Minister |
24 April 1938 | 9 May 1938 | 537 | None |
Päts V (continued) (non-party coalition) |
President Konstantin Päts (1938–1940) |
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| 7th Prime Minister (2nd term) |
9 May 1938 | 12 October 1939 | Eenpalu II (non-party coalition) |
VI (1938) |
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| 8 | Jüri Uluots (1890–1945) 8th Prime Minister |
12 October 1939 | 21 June 1940 |
254 | None |
Uluots (non-party coalition) |
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| 1st Soviet Occupation (1940–1941) | |||||||||
| German Occupation (1941–1944) | |||||||||
| — | Otto Tief (1889–1976) Acting Prime Minister |
18 September 1944 |
25 September 1944 |
8 | None | Tief (non-party coalition) |
Parliament disbanded |
Prime Minister in duties of the President Jüri Uluots |
|
| 2nd Soviet Occupation (1944–1991) (See Estonian Government in Exile) |
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| — | Edgar Savisaar (1950–2022) 1st Prime Minister of the Interim Government |
3 April 1990 |
29 January 1992 | 668 | Popular Front (ERR) Estonian People's Centre Party (ERKE) |
Savisaar Interim (various coalition partners) |
Supreme Soviet (1990) |
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet |
|
| Chairman of the Supreme Council Arnold Rüütel |
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| — | Tiit Vähi (b. 1947) 2nd Prime Minister of the Interim Government |
29 January 1992 | 21 October 1992 | 266 | None | Vähi Interim (various coalition partners) |
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| President Lennart Georg Meri (1992–2001) |
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| 9 | Mart Laar (b. 1960) 9th Prime Minister |
21 October 1992 | 8 November 1994 | 749 | Pro Patria (RKEI) |
Laar I (Coalition) |
VII (1992) |
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| 10 | Andres Tarand (b. 1940) 10th Prime Minister |
8 November 1994 | 17 April 1995 | 161 | Moderates (M) |
Tarand (Coalition) |
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| 11 | Tiit Vähi (b. 1947) 11th Prime Minister (2nd term) |
17 April 1995 | 6 November 1995 | 701 | Coalition Party and Country People's Alliance (KMÜ) |
Vähi I (Coalition) |
VIII (1995) |
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| 6 November 1995 | 17 March 1997 | Vähi II (Coalition) |
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| 12 | Mart Siimann (b. 1946) 12th Prime Minister |
17 March 1997 | 25 March 1999 | 739 | Coalition Party and Country People's Alliance (KMÜ) |
Siimann (Coalition) |
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| 13 | Mart Laar (b. 1960) 13th Prime Minister (2nd term) |
25 March 1999 | 28 January 2002 | 1,041 | Pro Patria Union (IL) |
Laar II (Coalition) |
IX (1999) |
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| President Arnold Rüütel (2001–2006) |
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| 14 | Siim Kallas (b. 1948) 14th Prime Minister |
28 January 2002 | 10 April 2003 | 438 | Reform Party (ERE) |
S. Kallas (Coalition) |
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| 15 | Juhan Parts (b. 1966) 15th Prime Minister |
10 April 2003 | 12 April 2005 | 735 | Res Publica Party (RP) |
Parts (Coalition) |
X (2003) |
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| 16 | Andrus Ansip (b. 1956) 16th Prime Minister |
12 April 2005 | 5 April 2007 | 3,271 | Reform Party (ERE) |
Ansip I (Coalition) |
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| President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2006–2016) |
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| 5 April 2007 | 6 April 2011 | Ansip II (Coalition) |
XI (2007) |
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| 6 April 2011 | 26 March 2014 | Ansip III (Coalition) |
XII (2011) |
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| 17 | Taavi Rõivas (b. 1979) 17th Prime Minister |
26 March 2014 | 9 April 2015 | 973 | Reform Party (ERE) |
Rõivas I (Coalition) |
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| 9 April 2015 | 23 November 2016 | Rõivas II (Coalition) |
XIII (2015) |
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| President Kersti Kaljulaid (2016–2021) |
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| 18 | Jüri Ratas (b. 1978) 18th Prime Minister |
23 November 2016 | 29 April 2019 | 1525 | Centre Party (EKE) |
Ratas I (Coalition) |
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| 29 April 2019 | 26 January 2021 | Ratas II (Coalition) |
XIV (2019) |
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| 19 | Kaja Kallas (b. 1977) 19th Prime Minister |
26 January 2021 | 14 July 2022 | 1606 | Reform Party (ERE) |
K. Kallas I (Coalition) |
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| President Alar Karis (2021–Present) |
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| 18 July 2022 | 17 April 2023 | K. Kallas II (Coalition) |
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| 17 April 2023 | Incumbent | K. Kallas III (Coalition) |
XV (2023) |
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Statistics on Estonian Leaders
Time in Office
Estonia has had 23 different people lead its government. Thirteen of these leaders served before the Soviet occupation, and ten have served since Estonia regained its independence.
Konstantin Päts held the top government job for the longest time, a total of 3,563 days across six different periods. However, this includes a time when he ruled with more power. If we only count his democratic terms, it was 2,059 days. Andrus Ansip is the second longest-serving leader, with 3,271 days, and he held office democratically for longer than Päts.
The shortest time in office was for Ado Birk, who was Prime Minister for just three days. Otto Tief was Acting Prime Minister for only 8 days in 1944, during a short period between occupations. Other leaders who served for less than a year include Ants Piip, August Rei, Jüri Uluots, Juhan Kukk, Friedrich Karl Akel, and Jüri Jaakson.
Number and Length of Terms
Konstantin Päts served six times as head of government. Jaan Tõnisson was in office four times. Several leaders, including Otto August Strandman, Jaan Teemant, Karl August Einbund (later known as Kaarel Eenpalu), Tiit Vähi, and Mart Laar, each served two terms.
The longest average term lengths belong to leaders from the period after Estonia regained independence. Andrus Ansip leads with an average of 3,271 days per term. Jüri Ratas is second with 1,525 days, and Mart Laar is third with 895 days. Before the Soviet occupation, Konstantin Päts had the longest average term at 594 days. During the democratic period before the occupation, Jaan Teemant had the longest average term (439 days).
The period before the occupation also saw the shortest average term lengths. Ado Birk (3 days) and Otto Tief (8 days) had very short terms. Ants Piip's average term was 92 days, and Jaan Tõnisson's was 216 days. In the modern era, Andres Tarand (161 days) and Siim Kallas (438 days) had the shortest average term lengths.
Age at Assuming Office
Mart Laar was the youngest Prime Minister, becoming leader in 1992 at just 32 years old. Other leaders who were in their 30s when they took office include Ado Birk, Ants Piip, Juhan Kukk, Taavi Rõivas, Edgar Savisaar, and Juhan Parts. The oldest person to become head of government was Jaan Tõnisson, who was 64 in 1933. Most other leaders were in their 40s or 50s when they started their terms. The average age for a leader to take office is 48.
Timeline
See also
- List of chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
