The motion of no confidence introduced by the opposition in Estonia's parliament against Interior Minister Mart Helme, who recently came under fire for his demeaning remarks about the newly elected Finnish prime minister, has failed to get a necessary number of votes to pass, the parliament said on Tuesday
TALLINN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2019) The motion of no confidence introduced by the opposition in Estonia's parliament against Interior Minister Mart Helme, who recently came under fire for his demeaning remarks about the newly elected Finnish prime minister, has failed to get a necessary number of votes to pass, the parliament said on Tuesday.On Monday, Helme, 70, quoted Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin as saying that "any cook can become a minister" to describe the appointment of Sanna Marin, who had just become the world's youngest prime minister. He called the 34-year-old politician a "salesgirl"-turned-prime minister, alluding to her work as a cashier during her school years. He also said that her government was made up of street activists and uneducated people. He later apologized for his comments.
"Forty-four lawmakers have voted for the motion of no-confidence, put forward by the Reform and Social Democrat parties, 42 have voted against. Thirteen of 99 lawmakers present in the parliament chamber did not participate in the vote. A motion may be adopted when it is supported by at least 51 of the parliament's lawmakers," the parliament said in a statement.
This is not the first time when the Social Democratic and Reform parties have demanded Helme's resignation. According to Kaja Kallas, Reform Party leader, the interior minister has undermined the reputation of the government on multiple occasions.
In August, the parties called on then-Prime Minister Juri Ratas to remove Helme over the scandal involving Police and Border Guard board Director General Elmar Vaher, who claimed that the government was planning to dismiss 150 people due to budget cuts.
