Estonian presidential election, 2006
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Arnold Rüütel
Conservative People's Party of Estonia
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Social Democratic Party (Estonia)
Estonian presidential elections, 2006 took place over four rounds, which were held on 28 and 29 August, and 23 September 2006. The first three rounds of the presidential election were held within the Riigikogu, which is Estonia's Parliament, as specified under electoral law. The two top candidates, Ene Ergma and Toomas Hendrik Ilves, were not elected because they did not obtain the required two-thirds of the votes in the Riigikogu.
As the Riigikogu was unable to make a decision within the first three rounds, it was required under Estonian electoral law to convene an Electoral Body to decide the presidency. It was convened on 23 September, and Toomas Hendrik Ilves emerged as the winner over the other candidate and incumbent president, Arnold Rüüte, after obtaining a majority of the votes in the Electoral Body.
The President of the Republic of Estonia is indirectly elected, and serves primarily to represent the country as the symbolic Head of State of the executive branch. The president is elected for a five-year term and cannot stand for more than two consecutive terms. Any Estonian citizen by birth over the age of forty can be nominated as a candidate, but must be supported by a minimum of one fifth of the Riigikogu, equivalent to 21 members.
The President of the Republic Election Act, which was passed on April 10, 1996, governs the election process. There are up to five rounds of elections. In the first round, members of the Riigikogu vote for the new president; a candidate receiving a two-thirds majority of votes is elected. If no candidate receives the required majority, a second round of voting is held the next day. If no candidate receives the required majority during the second round, a third round of voting is held on the same day in which the two candidates who earned the most votes in the second round compete for a two-thirds majority.
If neither candidate receives the required majority during the third round, the President of the Riigikogu convenes an electoral body composed of the members of the Riigikogu as well as representatives from local government councils to choose the new president. Each local government council elects their own representatives, and the number of representatives from each community depends on population. In the 2006 election, the electoral body contained 347 people: 101 Riigikogu members and 247 local representatives. In the fourth round, candidates who participated in the third round of voting, or newly nominated candidates with the support of at least 21 members of the electoral body are entered on the ballot. The electoral body votes, and the candidate receiving a majority of votes is elected. If no candidate receives a majority, a fifth round of voting is held on the same day. The two candidates who received the most votes during the fourth round are entered into the fifth round, and the candidate receiving a majority of votes is elected.
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Wikipedia