Arnold Rüütel

Rüütel born in Pahavalla village in Laimjala Parish, Saaremaa. His parents was Feodor Rüütel (1900−1965) and Juulia Rüütel (1905−1995).[2][3]

After the annexation of Estonia to the USSR, he changed his name to the more russified Arnold Fedorovich Ruutel (Russian: А́рнольд Фёдорович Рю́йтель). On April 8, 1983, he was appointed as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Estonian SSR; thus he was also one of the 15 deputy chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On March 29, 1990, he was elected as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Estonia. He served during the confirmation of Estonia's independence on August 20, 1991. Rüütel continued in office until October 6, 1992.

Rüütel was also a member of the Constitutional Assembly from 1991 to 1992, which drafted the new Constitution of the Republic of Estonia. He stood as a candidate in the first presidential election in 1992. In the first round, where the people voted, Rüütel came first, receiving 43% of the votes. The second round was held in the Riigikogu, whose members voted for the two leading candidates of the first round; there, Rüütel lost to Lennart Meri.

In 1991, Rüütel took his Doctorate in agriculture. He served as Chairman of the People's Union of Estonia from 1994 to 2000, and was elected as a member of the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu, in 1995, where he acted as Vice-Chairman until 1997. He ran for President in the 1996 election (this time an indirect election with no popular vote) and lost to Meri once again.

He was elected President by an electoral college on September 21, 2001, defeating Toomas Savi in the final round by votes of 186 to 155. Rüütel was inaugurated as President of the Republic on October 8, 2001. Mart Laar's cabinet eventually fell later the same year. Rüütel announced in his election manifesto that his principal aims would be to reduce the negative effects that Estonia's speedy economic changes had had on a large number of people, and to seek greater solidarity within the society.

The end of Rüütel's term was overshadowed by several controversies. On the Independence Day military parade on February 24, 2005, Rüütel repeatedly congratulated soldiers on 'Victory day' (Estonian Victory Day is on June 23), which caused speculation about the then 76-year-old president's mental health.[4] In January 2006, Estonian Television reported that Rüütel's underage granddaughters had organized a party in the presidential palace and drunk alcohol.[5] Later that year, the newspaper Eesti Ekspress published archived documents suggesting that Rüütel as a top functionary of the Estonian SSR was involved in the persecution of scientist Johannes Hint (later sentenced to jail in a show trial) by the KGB.[6] Rüütel himself commented that he had tried to defend Hint.[7]

As Rüütel's term was due to end in October 2006, he announced on June 7, 2006, that he would be a candidate for re-election, thus ending speculation as to his candidacy.[8] In late August, the parliament failed to elect a President. The election of Ene Ergma and Toomas Hendrik Ilves by the parliament was blocked by Rüütel's supporters, who did not take out ballots. The electoral college met to vote for a president on September 23. The latest opinion polls (September 2006) had suggested that Rüütel's popular support was around 31 per cent (Ilves' support was 51%); Rüütel was more popular amongst the elderly and the Russian-speaking minority.[9] In the electoral college, Rüütel received 162 votes against 174 for Ilves. Rüütel congratulated the winner and offered his assistance. Rüütel's presidency therefore expired at the end of his term, and Ilves took office on October 9, 2006.

Rüütel voiced support for Mart Helme of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia in the 2016 Estonian presidential election.[10][11] Since leaving office, he has continued to meet with his former counterparts, including Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev[12] and Moldovan president Petru Lucinschi.[13]

•  Soviet Union : Order of the Badge of Honour (1964)
•  Soviet Union : Order of Lenin (1971)
•  Soviet Union : Order of Friendship of Peoples (1981)
•  Estonia : Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2001)[14]
•  Estonia : Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms (2008)[15]
•  Finland : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose with collar (2001)
•  Norway : Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2002)[16]
•  Poland : Great Cross of the Order of the White Eagle[17]
•  Portugal : Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2003) [18]
•  Luxembourg : Great Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau (2003)
•  Iceland : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (2004)
•  Slovakia : Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the Order of the White Double Cross (2005)[19]
•  Portugal : Grand Collar of the Order of Saint James of the Sword (2006) [18]
•  Italy : Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic[20]
•  Latvia : Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Three Stars
•  Lithuania : Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (30 September 2004)[21]
•  Philippines : Gusi Peace Prize for Statesmanship (27 November 2013)[22]

• 
  George W. Bush, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Arnold Rüütel, and Valdas Adamkus in Riga, May 7, 2005.
• 
  Rüütel with Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Prince Henrik of Denmark, Bernadette Chirac, President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush of the United States, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines at the funeral of John Paul II.
• 
  Arnold Rüütel with Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Alexy II in January 2005.
• 
  Arnold Rüütel and his wife Ingrid Rüütel at the XXV Estonian Song Festival (Laulupidu) in 2009.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arnold Rüütel.

• About Arnold Rüütel in The President of the Republic of Estonia homepage
• Biography of Arnold Rüütel