Seventy-five members of Estonia's 101-seat parliament, the Riigikogu, have formally nominated Chancellor of Justice Ulle Madise as a candidate for president, giving her more than the number of votes theoretically required to secure the post, Estonia’s national broadcaster ERR.ee reported on August 24.

The Riigikogu will meet to elect the president on September 2 to replace incumbent President Alar Karis, who, as reported by IntelliNews, is not running for a second term.

The broad parliamentary backing is significant because Estonia's president must receive at least 68 votes in the Riigikogu to be elected. With support from both governing and opposition parties, Madise enters the election with a potentially decisive majority, although MPs remain free to vote differently in the secret ballot.

MPs from the governing Reform Party and Eesti 200, together with opposition Isamaa and the Social Democratic Party (SDE), submitted the signatures supporting Madise's candidacy on August 24.

Madise was formally registered as a presidential candidate at 11am as the nomination period approached its close.

Her nomination was initially reported to have attracted 74 signatures. The number subsequently rose to 75 after Isamaa MP Andres Metsoja added his name, ERR.ee reported.

Madise is currently serving her second seven-year term as Estonia's chancellor of justice, a position she has held since 2015. The office is an independent constitutional institution responsible for overseeing whether legislation complies with the constitution and protecting fundamental rights.

Not all parliamentary parties have backed her candidacy. MPs from the opposition EKRE and Centre Party did not join the nomination.

Estonia's president is elected by parliament, with a candidate requiring at least 68 votes out of 101 to win. If parliament fails to elect a president through the prescribed rounds of voting, the process can move to an electoral college involving MPs and representatives of local governments.

Madise's 75 nominations therefore put her in a strong starting position ahead of the parliamentary vote, ERR.ee reported.