Remember the 2004 Presidential Election? John Kerry assembled an army of American culture warriors to support his bid to unseat George W. Bush including John Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and Dave Matthews Band?Well, the campaign for Toomas Hendrik Ilves is enlisting similar weaponry to take on the deeply entrenched power of Arnold Rüütel, a 78-year-old gentleman who looks aloof and borderline senile in Tallinn, but takes on the aura of an old fashioned country boy in rural Estonia.
According to The Oiko Times, a Greece-based Eurovision-focused online newsletter, Ilves is looking to draw on some heavy duty firepower to propel him to victory in the Estonian valimiskogu on Sept. 23.
Estonia's 1996 representatives Ivo Linna & Maarja-Liis Ilus have promised to sing as part of what has been called a new 'singing revolution' - as Estonia's electoral college prepares to elect the country's next president.
The concert is scheduled to take place near the Opera house on September 23rd. However they are still waiting for final permission from the City Centre authorities before it gets the official go-ahead. According to the Radio Uuno morning program one of the organisers, Jaan Elgula, has said that the concert is part of the campaign to support Toomas Heldirik Ilves, one of the presidential candidates.
The list of performers is impressive. Besides Ivo and Maarja other Estonian famous singer will sing too, like Tõnis Mägi, Ultima Thule, Untsakad, Justament, Juhansons, Chalice, Siiri Sisask and Rein Rannap.
I guess the logic follows that if Toomas 'Heldirik' Ilves is good enough for Chalice, then he is good enough for 'Mats Hobusega' - the average Estonian. The only problem is that the average Estonian probably doesn't know Chalice too well, although he is probably familiar with Ivo Linna (pictured) and Tõnis Mägi, who is supposedly seen as very handsome among the maarahvas.
Earlier this week, some other cultural figures, including Jaan Kaplinski and Jaan Kross, endorsed Ilves. But that doesn't mean that they will count much. As Villu Reiljan told Postimees, they should just go write some books or something and mind their own business. Let the kingmakers make the king, Kivirahk. Get out of the way!
Anyway, Bon Jovi didn't pay off for Kerry in 2004 no matter how much people liked 'Livin' on a Prayer.' Still, it is yet-to-be-seen how Ilves' gambit will play out.
8 kommentaari:
You know this is going to have limited effect because this is not direct election and a large part of the Lower Jirga deputies are going to vota along the party line.
Ah, I almost forgot. Do you realize that all Estonians, not only ethnic Estonians get to have a vote on president in the Jirga? That's right. Russian deputies from Tallinn are already fixing their smokings. And, as you are able to see yourself, there's no Pugatsheva in the list.
Ah, I almost forgot. Do you realize that all Estonians, not only ethnic Estonians get to have a vote on president in the Jirga?
Is jirga another word for valimiskogu (electoral college)?
Of course:
A jirga (occasionally jirgah) is a tribal assembly of elders which takes decisions by consensus, particularly among the Pashtun ethnic group.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jirga
ahsoo!
Did I read somewhere that Savisaar getting Ruutel re-elected would get him the (Savisaar) the Prime Minster position? (Because Ruutel would nominate him?) Or am I wrong because KESK-ERL bloc does not have a majority?
Can you help me count party seats in parliament? I only come up with 99:
Estonian People’s Union (ERL or KE) 13, Estonian Centre Party (KESK) 20 --- Estonian Reform Party (ER) 19, Social Democratic Party (SDE) 6, Res Publica 25, Pro Patria Union 7 (I) -- Independents 9. Only =99??
And thank goodness THI didn't sing with James Brown...ugh...
And CR, there's 101 in the Riigikogu: Keskerakond (Centre Party 21), Reform (19), Rahvaliit (People's Union, 13), Isamaaliit (Pro Patria, 7), Res Publica (25), SotsDem (Social Dems, 6), indep (10). It's a mess to count it since some lists don't have the esimees (speaker) in them, some have the ex-Centrists somewhere wrong, etc...
Postita kommentaar