Alar Karis

Karis was born in Tartu on 26 March 1958.^[3][4] He was raised there by his mother and grandmother after his parents divorced in 1960.^[5]

In 1981, he graduated from the Estonian Agricultural Academy (now renamed Estonian University of Life Sciences) in Tartu.^[4] In 1987, he received the degree of Candidate of Veterinary Sciences from the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR in Minsk.^[6] In 1999, he became a professor at the University of Tartu.^[4]

Karis served as rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences from 2003 to 2007, as rector of the University of Tartu from 2007 to 2012, as the Auditor General of Estonia from 2013 to 2018, and as director of the Estonian National Museum from 2018 to 2021.^[1][7]

In August 2021, he was approached by the speaker of the parliament (Riigikogu) Jüri Ratas with a prospect of nomination for the position of the president of Estonia in the upcoming election in the autumn.^[8] He accepted the nomination^[9] and his candidacy was subsequently endorsed by both coalition parties, the Reform Party^[10] and the Centre Party.^[11] On 31 August 2021, Karis was elected as the president of Estonia with a two thirds majority of 72 votes in the Riigikogu.^[2][12] He assumed the office on 11 October 2021.^[2]

The election received criticism and calls for electoral reform due to the absence of opposing candidates.^[13][14][15] In his acceptance speech Karis referenced the "turmoil that surrounded the presidential selection process" and called for changes of the system to be examined by the Riigikogu, such as using an enlarged electoral college, facilitating the nomination of candidates or even using direct election. He promised to be a balancer and a mediator during his presidential term.^[16]

Karis started his presidency with state visits to Latvia and Finland.^[17] The visit to Latvia was hosted by the speaker of the Saeima Ināra Mūrniece as President of Latvia Egils Levits had tested positive for COVID-19 the previous evening.^[18]

Karis on several occasions has used his right not to promulgate laws passed by the parliament. In December 2023 Karis refused to promulgate a law due to finding that the rules of proceedings were violated by the government by tying the bill to confidence vote. Karis found in his decision that all-out obstruction in the Riigikogu, that may render the parliament unable to work, does not give the government the right to keep tying all bills to confidence votes and therefore pushing them through the parliament.^[19] The Riigikogu however adopted the bill unchanged, Karis refused to promulgate the second time and sent the bill to the Supreme Court.^[20] Supreme Court sided with Karis.^[21]

In July 2024 Karis did not proclaim the Vehicle Tax Act finding it to be unconstitutional in violating the principle of equal treatment in the part that deals with persons with disabilities.^[22] He approved it when the law was amended by the parliament.^[23]