Jüri Ratas

Jüri Ratas (2015)

Jüri Ratas (born July 2, 1978 in Tallinn ) is an Estonian politician . He has been chairman of the Estonian Center Party (Eesti Keskerakond) since November 5, 2016 and Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia since November 23, 2016. On January 13, 2021, Ratas announced that he would step down from his post as Prime Minister.

Life

Jüri Ratas was born as the son of the Estonian biology professor, environmental activist and politician Rein Ratas (* 1938). His father was State Secretary in the Estonian Ministry of the Environment from 1992 to 1999 and has been a member of the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ) for many years .

Ratas graduated from high school in Tallinn's Nõmme district in 1996 . In 2002 he graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Tallinn University of Technology with a Masters degree . This was followed in 2005 by an additional bachelor's degree in law from the University of Tartu .

Political career

After graduating from high school, Jüri Ratas initially worked in the private sector for various companies. In August 2000 he joined the Estonian Center Party. In February 2002 he became economic policy advisor to the Tallinn Lord Mayor and then Chairman of the Center Party, Edgar Savisaar . In April 2003, Ratas became deputy mayor of the Estonian capital. In November 2005, the city council elected him Lord Mayor of Tallinn. He held the office until March 2007. As Lord Mayor, he was one of the initiators of the European Union's European Green Capital campaign . In the parliamentary elections in March 2007, Ratas was elected as a member of the Riigikogu . The plenary appointed Ratas as Vice-President of Parliament in April 2007.

In November 2016, the then 38-year-old Ratas was elected to succeed Edgar Savisaar, long-time chairman of the Center, who did not run. After the collapse of the previous governing coalition of Reform Party , Social Democrats and IRL under Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas , Ratas succeeded in forming a new coalition of Center Party, Social Democrats and IRL. On November 21st he was given the task of forming a new government by parliament. The new coalition government ( Cabinet Ratas I ) under Prime Minister Jüri Ratas officially took office on November 23, 2016.

Six and a half weeks after the election in early March , Ratas was confirmed in office by parliament on April 17, 2019. He now heads a coalition ( Cabinet Ratas II ) of his center party with Isamaa, which emerged from the IRL, and the right-wing populist EKRE . Election winner Kaja Kallas from the Reform Party had previously failed when she tried to form a government.

On January 13, 2021, Ratas announced his resignation from the post of Prime Minister. Ratas said he would take political responsibility and enable the prosecutor to investigate corruption allegations. These investigations are in connection with corona aid loans from the state finance institution in connection with a real estate project, which are considered to be related to large donations to the party of the prime minister.

Private

Jüri Ratas is with Karin Ratas married . The couple have a daughter and two sons.

From 2012 to 2016 he was President of the Estonian Basketball Federation .

Web links

Commons : Jüri Ratas  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website
• CV (Estonian State Chancellery)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jüri Ratas confirmed prime minister , online report at http://news.err.ee/ from November 21, 2016, accessed on November 21, 2016
2. ^ Green light for new right-wing coalition in Estonia. Der Standard , April 17, 2019, accessed on the same day.
3. ^ Reform party fails to form a government in Estonia. Der Standard, April 15, 2019, accessed the following day.
4. ↑ [1] SPIEGEL online, January 13, 2021, accessed on the same day.
5. ↑ ESBL RATAS, JÜRI , biography at http: //www.esbl.ee,/ accessed on September 1, 2017