Estonian minister steps down after questioning Biden win in U.S election

Expressing scepticism about the legality of the outcome of the U.S presidential election, in favour of Joe Biden, has cost Estonia’s interior minister his job, he told a local broadcaster on Monday.

“I didn’t say anything that American media hadn’t already reported,’’ said Mart Helme as he announced his departure, which had sparked criticism from many of his political colleagues.

Helme and his son Martin, who is the country’s finance minister, have drawn heat for comments on a Sunday radio show, in which they questioned the legitimacy of Tuesday’s elections.

Those showed former vice -president Joe Biden beating incumbent Donald Trump, although Trump has also questioned the outcome.

Helme also called Biden a “corrupt character’’ in the broadcast.

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The two belong to the right-wing Populist Party EKRE, which became a part of the governing coalition in 2019 after a rightward shift in voting.

However, it has been a source of frequent scandal since. The elder Helme is the founder and long-time leader of the party.

In a Sunday statement, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid called the comments by the Helmes an attack against Estonian democracy and security.

“The words of a politician have weight and today, two ministers of the Republic of Estonia have decided to use the weight of their words to attack our main ally.

(NAN)

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