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Estonian prime minister loses no-confidence vote in parliament

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas
© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

TALLINN, November 9. /TASS/. Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas lost on Wednesday a no-confidence vote in parliament. A no-confidence motion was supported by 63 deputies of the 101-seat parliament with 51 votes required to pass it. Twenty-eight lawmakers voted against.

"This change was expected. When the minister incapable of making decisions heads the government, this entails problems," the faction leader of the biggest opposition Estonian Centre Party, Kadri Simson, said.

Roivas said in his speech that the government and the coalition "were doing their job well and productively on the whole" and accused coalition partners in separate negotiations behind his back.

According to media reports, within 24 hours, the speaker of Riigikogu (unicameral parliament) is to report to the president on the vote of no-confidence. Within 14 days, the head of state will appoint a new prime minister from the suggested candidacies, and the new prime minister will have another two weeks to form a new cabinet.