According to an article in The Baltic Times it just might play out that way. It's all up to how well Arnold Rüütel feels in late August. If he's up to the task, then Savisaar may stand down. But if not, it's becoming clear that Mr. Clay Island could have other plans.
God, why does this look like a classic Estonian competition between the narcissist in the bowtie (Jaan Tõnisson) and the burly bloke with the shady connections (Konstatiin Päts)? Does it scare you too? Good.
The strength of a democracy is tested in each election. Because Estonia does not directly elect its presidents, that means that the strength of Estonia's democracy is placed on the backs of 101 politicians. That leaves a citizen feeling unsure. The fear that Ilves creates is that he may prefer white blazers to classic black. The fear Savisaar generates is that he may decide to proclaim himself the first Estonian "king" since Lembitu.
What's a disenfranchised voter to do? Nothing. It will all be settled behind closed doors. Great. Not!
Personally, I think Ilves has a better track record. He did a suitable job as foreign minister, and he is an oft-referenced and respected MEP. Savisaar's ride, though, has been a bit more bumpy. Would he even make it through the next five years without having to "resign forever from politics" again? How many times can one "resign forever from politics"? That is the question.
But it's still unclear where things stand. And who knows what Savisaar's final agenda will look like. But it may wind up that both get rejected and the next Prez is Laine Jänes. And her last name means bunny. I think having a President Bunny would be cool.
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Yup, Janes for president! What a hot looking president she would make, unlike some other lady pres to the North.
Im waiting for Leeloo`s comments on how to translate Jänes...
;)
Yeah, yeah, I know. "Jänes" tahendab "rabbit" inglise keeles. Aga mina arvan et "bunny" on mõnusem kui "rabbit"!
Come now, Pekka. Harja Talonen isn't so bad. A six pack of Lapin Kulta, a hot sauna - you'd be whipping each other with birch branches in no time!
But do you know what is the translation of bunny? Not jänes but...
jänku?
I thought that "jänes" is "hare" and küülik" is "rabbit"...
Yes, jänku!
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I have never heard anyone using word hare. But of course, its only me.
Haha, the thought of correcting the translation DID cross my mind... but somehow I figured that Justin chose the word "bunny" intentionally (President Rabbit doesn't sound as cool as President Bunny, does it?).
Theoretically, Notsu is right. "Küülik" is "rabbit", and "jänes" is "hare", but the words are often used interchangeably. "Rabbit" seems to be the preferred word, but there's at least one very famous hare: the March Hare from "Alice in Wonderland" :)
"Hare" is an old-fashioned word. In Estonian school I also learned that my sister-in-law was my "käli." Yet my sister-in-law didn't know this word!
Maybe there are more rabbits around than hares in anglophonic world... so all long-eared animals are called rabbits nowadays. Just like most of estonians call both "jänes" in spite of biological differences, because we have no wild rabbits at all.
Well, "hare" is not just an old-fashioned or dialectal synonym of "rabbit" (the way "käli" is a synonym of "naiseõde"), even if the word "rabbit" is more common than "hare" these days. I bet zoologists never say "rabbit" instead of "hare" (nor vice versa), because there are distinct biological differences between hares and rabbits. Rabbits are born naked and blind, hares are born furry and able to see; rabbits live in burrows, hares live on the surface; rabbits are social, hares prefer solitude... In short, they're different. There's a lot of articles on the topic out there: http://www.google.se/search?q=differences+between+a+rabbit+and+a+hare
À propos words and meanings: my Hungarian teacher once remarked that whenever he said a Hungarian word and asked 'what does it mean?', his Estonian pupils started to argue about its meaning. This never occurred in any other country, nor with pupils of any other nation.
So, don't take it personal, Giustino, it's just endemic.
Never mind the hare - rabbit - bunny trilemma... Just pay attention to her given name as well - President Wave Bunny she is!
I would go for that! Unfortunately, the coolness ends there in her case, I'm afraid.
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