Taavi Rõivas (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈtɑːʋi ˈrɤi̯ʋɑs]; born 26 September 1979) is an Estonian former politician and businessman who served as Prime Minister of Estonia from 2014 to 2016. He led the Reform Party from 2014 to 2017 and was previously the Minister of Social Affairs from 2012 to 2014. On 9 November 2016, his second cabinet dissolved after his coalition partners, the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica and Social Democratic Party, sided with the opposition in a no confidence motion.
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Political career
Rõivas joined the Reform Party in 1998. His political career began as an advisor to Minister of Justice Märt Rask from 1999 to 2002.
In February 2014, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip announced he would resign one year before the 2015 parliamentary elections and hand his post to the European Commissioner Siim Kallas, former Reform Party Leader and Prime Minister 2002–2003. Kallas began coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party, deciding to replace the conservative Pro Patria and Res Publica Union as Reform Party's coalition partner. On 12 March Kallas unexpectedly announced he would not seek the post, due to media scrutiny of his actions as President of the Bank of Estonia in the early 1990s. The same day, the leadership of Reform Party chose Rõivas as the new candidate for prime minister. The coalition agreement with the Social Democratic Party was signed on 20 March and the nomination was confirmed by the Riigikogu on 24 March. Rõivas became prime minister after the President Toomas Hendrik Ilves approved his proposed cabinet on 26 March 2014. At the time, Rõivas was the youngest government leader in the European Union.
Rõivas led his party to the 2015 parliamentary elections, in which the Reform Party succeeded in staying as the largest party and began coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party, the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union and the Free Party. After nearly three weeks of negotiations, the Free Party left the coalition talks due to disagreements with the Reform Party and the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union. The three remaining parties signed the coalition treaty on 8 April, and Rõivas' second cabinet took office on 9 April.