Estonian Premier Kallas Should Have Resigned, President Says

(Bloomberg) -- Estonia’s president said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas should have resigned over revelations last month that her husband’s company had business activity in Russia.

Most Read from Bloomberg

• Huawei Teardown Shows Chip Breakthrough in Blow to US Sanctions

• China Slowdown Means It May Never Overtake US Economy, Forecast Shows

• Why China Is Avoiding Using ‘Bazooka’ to Spur Economy

• United Airlines Resumes US Flights After Temporary Grounding on Tech Issue

• Billion-Dollar Corporate Bond Deals Hit Treasuries: Markets Wrap

The comments from President Alar Karis, short of an outright demand that Kallas step down, were unusual for the Baltic nation’s head of state, who holds a largely ceremonial, non-partisan role. It may add pressure on Kallas, who said last week that she has no plans to quit.

“My personal preference would have been for the head of government to resign,” Karis said on Facebook Monday after meeting with Estonian party leaders, including Kallas. “This would have saved her, her loved ones, the government’s ability to function and the credibility of Estonia’s messaging.”

Kallas told Bloomberg Thursday that she plans to stay on, confident that she’ll secure the backing of her Reform party and her two coalition partners should the opposition move to oust her in a confidence vote.

The fallout from the revelations is a setback for a leader who’s gained a reputation as one of the European Union’s most hawkish voices against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

• Is Carlos Alcaraz the Next Billion-Dollar Tennis Player?

• How a Tiny Mexican Border City Built a Budget Dental Empire

• Lyme Disease Has Exploded, and a New Vaccine Is (Almost) Here

• Nigeria’s Train to Nowhere Shows How Not to Build Public Transit

• The Hostile Takeover of Blue Cities by Red States

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.