Arnold Rüütel

Arnold Rüütel ( IPA: [ ɑr̺.nold̥ RY ː tɛl. ]; UPA: [ Arnold Rüütel ] ) ( born May 10, 1928 in Laimjala Saaremaa Saaremaa dt ) is an Estonian politician. He was from 1990 to 1992 and from 2001 to 2006 head of state of the Republic of Estonia.

The scientist

The later agronomist graduated from the School of Agriculture in Jäneda and was from 1949 to 1950 at the Agricultural Department of the Administration of Saaremaa active. Subsequently, he was in the period 1955-1957 teacher at the Institute of Agricultural Machinery in Tartu. 1969 he was appointed Rector of the Estonian Agricultural Academy.

The political career

Since 1971 he worked in the Estonian SSR in various public offices and served in 1983 as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR.

In March 1990 he was elected chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia. On his initiative the meeting of Baltic States went back with the help of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania together sought a way out of dependence on the USSR. Arnold Rüütel was a member of the Constituent Assembly of Estonia and officiated by the restoration of national independence as president ( of 6 September 1991 to 5 October 1992). He was defeated but then in the presidential election in 1992 with 43% of the votes cast Lennart Meri.

From 1994 to 2000 Arnold Rüütel was chairman of the Estonian Rural People's Party ( Maarahva erakond ) and in 1995 the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ) was chosen, which he belongs as its vice president.

Rüütel remained scientifically active besides politics and his Ph.D. in 1991 in agriculture. He is Emeritus Professor of the Estonian Agricultural Academy, Honorary Doctor of Bentley College (USA), the University of Helsinki (Finland), the National Agricultural University of Ukraine and has published more than one hundred scientific papers.

Arnold Rüütel is a supporter of Estonia's membership of the European Union.

After the end of the second term of Lennart Meri Rüütel was in October 2001 again president. In 2006, he chose not to run for another term, but in the regular ballots in parliament, but only in the (extended to representatives of the counties and municipalities) election meeting of the third round when the two former would fail. This third round of voting took place on 23 September 2006; Rüütel she lost by 162 to 174 votes against the Social Democrats, Toomas Hendrik Ilves. The handover took place on 9 October 2006.

Arnold Rüütel is married to Ingrid Rüütel and has two daughters.