Ülle Madise Elected as President of Estonia

Exam-focused facts from the 5 September 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Ülle Madise was elected as the next President of Estonia by the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) on 2 September 2026.
She received 71 votes in a secret ballot, surpassing the required two-thirds majority of 68 votes in the first round.
She is the second woman to hold the office of President of Estonia, after Kersti Kaljulaid (2016–2021).
She will take the oath of office on 12 October 2026, succeeding Alar Karis, who did not seek a second term.
Madise served as Chancellor of Justice from 2015 and began a second seven-year term in 2022.
She was born in Tartu on 11 December 1974, studied law at the University of Tartu, and completed a doctorate at Tallinn University of Technology.
She previously served as legal adviser to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2009–2015) and helped establish the legal foundations of Estonia's internet voting system.