Estonia’s divided parliament has failed to elect a successor to liberal President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is having to stand down after two consecutive terms. <br /><br /> Former prime minister and EU commissioner Siim Kallas and the opposition Centre Party candidate Mailis Reps both failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the 101-seat parliament following two rounds of voting.<br /><br /> Kallas, a liberal and co-founder of the governing Reform party scored 42 votes while the left-leaning Reps took 26. <br /><br /> They will now face the vote of the 347-strong Electoral College on September 24, made up of parliamentarians as well as local representatives where they will need just a simple majority to win. <br /><br /> Estonia’s head of state plays a largely ceremonial role in the Baltic NATO country of 1.3 million people and is elected by parliament or Electoral College rather than direct public vote.<br />
