Alar Karis will become Estonia's next head of state after being elected president in the Riigikogu on Tuesday during the second round of voting. Karis received 72 votes, passing the 68 votes needed to get elected.
Eighty Riigikogu members voted, 72 in favor of Karis with eight leaving their ballots blanks. The vote took place as a secret ballot.
After the result was announced, Karis said: "I would like to thank everyone who voted for me, as well as those who did not. I promise to be a good partner to the Riigikogu. Thank you very much."
Karis, 63, is a former auditor general, former rector of the University of Tartu and of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and only publicly agreed to run as president less than two weeks ago.
He will be Estonia's sixth president.
