Estonia is a small country located near Russia, and it deserves recognition for its support of Ukraine and straightforward remarks about Russia. However, there are some unusual happenings in Estonia that I want to shed light on. The country is led by the Reform Party, headed by Kaja Kallas, who has received praise from international media for her stance on Russia.
Like many political parties worldwide, the Reform Party has faced its share of scandals. Interestingly, these controversies have often led to the removal of leaders from other parties, while those from the Reform Party seem to remain in power. This situation can be attributed to the Reform Party’s long-standing dominance in Estonian politics, which has allowed them to shape the government to their advantage.
One of the most extravagant scandals was the pedophile scandal involving Marko Mihkelson, Member of the Parlament and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Mr Mihkelson had repeatedly photographed the private parts of his underage daughter-in-law, and not inadvertently, and this was proven in court and obtained a court ruling. The father of the girl’s father-in-law demanded that Marko Mihkelson be banned from physical contact with his daughter, i.e., that Mihkelson not touch her with a fingertip, but no other punishment was imposed.
The Reform Party, as well as the national media unit, had been aware of this for several years but kept silent and forced others to keep quiet as well, citing the protection of a minor child in the public interest. Eventually, it trickled out, and a nationwide pedophile scandal emerged. Although Marko Mihkelson resigned as head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parlament, he is still a member of the Parlament and one of the leading politicians of the Reform Party. Anyone who dared to address the issue publicly was condemned, and the media muzzled. Even the social media giant Facebook was implicated in the nationwide clampdown.
Any Estonian who dared to express their outrage on Facebook was blocked or had their accounts restricted. In the US, the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was imprisoned, which later led to his suicide. Still, in Eastern Europe, such powerful men are given national protection, and anyone who dares to question their legitimacy is muzzled. The opposition party asked Kaja Kallas in the Parlament. Still, she just waved her hand and said everything was correct and believed in the Estonian judicial and legal system.
Marko Mihkelson’s career and most significant achievements, showing his fundamental importance and influence in the Republic of Estonia:
1993-1994 Editor of the newspaper “Välisuudise”.
1994-2000 Moscow correspondent and editor-in-chief of “News from Moscow”.
2000-2003 Director of the Centre for Baltic Russian Studies
2003-2007 Head of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
2011-2019 Head of the Estonian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and Member of the Delegation
Marko Mihkelson has served on various councils, including the Baltic Center for Russian Studies and the Estonian Institute for Foreign Policy. He is a member of the International Centre for Defense Studies and the Tallinn Rotary Club.
His political career includes serving as a member of the Valga City Council from 2002 to 2003 and as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the X to XIV Parliaments. Initially affiliated with the Isamaa and Res Publica Union until 2017, he joined the Reform Party in 2018. Mihkelson has run for parliament multiple times, notably receiving 1,313 votes for the 10th Parliament and 3,655 votes for the 14th.
Mihkelson also ran for the European Parliament in 2004 and 2014, obtaining 1,361 and 7,497 votes, respectively. He has been elected to the Viimsi Municipal Council several times in local elections but did not participate in the 2017 elections. In 2021, he ran for the council again and received 152 votes, becoming an alternate member.
Testimonials
2003 Commander of the Order of Prince Dom Henrique of the Portuguese Republic.
2004 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
2004 Grand Cross of Commander of the Order of Grand Duke Gediminas of the Republic of Lithuania
2004 Gold Medal of the Estonian Ministry of Defense
2005 Knight Cross of the French National Order of Merit
2006 Order of the White Star IV Class
2009 Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
2011 Order of the Order of the North Star, Second Class, of the Kingdom of Sweden
2012 Commander of the Order of the Three Stars of the Republic of Latvia, III Class
2014 Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, First Class
2018 Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
Today, the pedophile scandal has been buried, and it is as if nothing had happened. Marko Mihkelson will stand again in the Estonian Parliament elections on 5 March 2023 as a candidate of the Reform Party.
