NordenBladet —
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Riigikogu, three conference rooms of Toompea Castle were named after the Speakers of the Riigikogu Otto Strandman, August Rei and Jaan Tõnisson today. Bas-reliefs of the statesmen were put up in the rooms.
“Up to now, all conference rooms of the Riigikogu were marked with numbers. But there have been many noteworthy people in the history of our Parliament, and on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Parliament of Estonia, we decided to give these rooms the names of Speakers of the Riigikogu,” Secretary General of the Riigikogu Peep Jahilo said.
Member of the Riigikogu Professor Aadu Must spoke at the naming ceremony. “All these three great historical statesmen believed in education. And education has ensured the national independence and continuity of Estonia,” Must said. Professor Must approves of the initiative of giving names to the rooms of the Riigikogu and thinks that it should be continued, because there are several other persons who have contributed to laying the foundations on which the state of Estonia stands.
Otto August Strandman (30 November 1875 – 5 February 1941) was the President of the 1st Riigikogu in 1921 and the State Elder in 1929–1931. Strandman has also been the Prime Minister (1919), the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Courts and the Minister of Finance of Estonia.
August Rei (22 March 1886 – 29 March 1963) was the President of the 2nd Riigikogu in 1925–1926 and the State Elder in 1928–1929. Rei was also the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1932–1933, and the Prime Minister in capacity of the President of the Republic in exile in 1945–1963.
Jaan Tõnisson (22 December 1868 – 3 July 1941) was the President of the 2nd and the 5th Riigikogu, and the State Elder in 1927–1928 and in 1933. Tõnisson has also been the Prime Minister of Estonia (1919–1920) and the Minister without portfolio in the Estonian Provisional Government (1918–1919).
This week, the Riigikogu celebrates its 100th anniversary. On 23 April 1919, the first representative body elected by the people in independent Estonia – the Constituent Assembly – convened in Tallinn. This representative body acted as the Parliament, adopted the Declaration of Independence and Sovereignty, the Constitution of Estonia and the Land Act, and solved other issues of vital importance for the Republic of Estonia. The decisions of the Constituent Assembly laid the foundation for the Republic of Estonia.
Photos of the naming ceremony (will be uploaded with a delay)
Riigikogu Press Service
Kristi Sobak
Phone +372 631 6592, +372 5190 6975
E-mail kristi.sobak@riigikogu.ee
Questions press@riigikogu.ee
Source: Parliament of Estonia