# Taavi Rõivas's second cabinet

Taavi Rõivas's second cabinet was the cabinet of Estonia, in office from 9 April 2015 to 23 November 2016. It was a Triple Alliance coalition cabinet of liberal centre-right Estonian Reform Party, Social Democratic Party and conservative Pro Patria and Res Publica Union.

## History

On 7 November 2016, the Social Democratic Party and Pro Patria and Res Publica Union announced that they were asking Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas to resign and were planning on negotiating a new majority government. The announcement came soon after the opposition had submitted a motion to express lack of confidence in Rõivas's government. SDE and IRL proceeded to support the motion, leaving the Reform the only party to support Rõivas. Rõivas commented the situation by declining to resign and arguing that a democratically elected government should be only removed by a democratic vote. In the following vote of confidence on 9 November, the majority of Riigikogu voted in favor of removing the prime minister's government. In the following coalition talks Center Party, SDE and IRL formed a new coalition led by Center Party's chairman Jüri Ratas. The new coalition was sworn in on 23 November.

## Ministers

| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party |
| Government's Office ||||||
| Prime Minister | Taavi Rõivas | 26 March 2014 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Ministry of Finance ||||||
| Minister of Finance | Sven Sester | 9 April 2015 | to the next cabinet | Pro Patria and Res Publica |
| Minister of Public Administration | Arto Aas | 9 April 2015 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs ||||||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Keit Pentus-Rosimannus | 17 November 2014 | 1 July 2015 | Reform |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Marina Kaljurand | 16 July 2015 | 12 September 2016 | Independent |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Jürgen Ligi | 12 September 2016 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications ||||||
| Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure | Kristen Michal | 9 April 2015 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Minister of Entrepreneurship | Urve Palo | 9 April 2015 | 30 August 2015 | SDE |
| Minister of Entrepreneurship | Liisa Oviir | 14 September 2015 | 23 November 2016 | SDE |
| Ministry of Justice ||||||
| Minister of Justice | Urmas Reinsalu | 9 April 2015 | to the next cabinet | Pro Patria and Res Publica |
| Ministry of Defence ||||||
| Minister of Defence | Sven Mikser | 26 March 2014 | 14 September 2015 | SDE |
| Minister of Defence | Hannes Hanso | 14 September 2015 | 23 November 2016 | SDE |
| Ministry of Culture ||||||
| Minister of Culture | Indrek Saar | 9 April 2015 | to the next cabinet | SDE |
| Ministry of the Interior ||||||
| Minister of the Interior | Hanno Pevkur | 26 March 2014 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Ministry of Education and Research ||||||
| Minister of Education and Research | Jürgen Ligi | 9 April 2015 | 12 September 2016 | Reform |
| Minister of Education and Research | Maris Lauri | 12 September 2016 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Ministry of the Environment ||||||
| Minister of the Environment | Marko Pomerants | 9 April 2015 | to the next cabinet | Pro Patria and Res Publica |
| Ministry of Social Affairs ||||||
| Minister of Social Protection | Margus Tsahkna | 9 April 2015 | 23 November 2016 | Pro Patria and Res Publica |
| Minister of Health and Labour | Rannar Vassiljev | 9 April 2015 | 14 September 2015 | SDE |
| Minister of Health and Labour | Jevgeni Ossinovski | 14 September 2015 | to the next cabinet | SDE |
| Ministry of Rural Affairs ||||||
| Minister of Rural Affairs | Urmas Kruuse | 9 April 2015 | 23 November 2016 | Reform |
| Source ||||||

## Resignations

On 1 July 2015 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, resigned due to a court decision which made her partly liable for debts accumulated by her father's bankrupt company. Reform Party decided to nominate independent Marina Kaljurand as her successor.
On 30 August 2015 The Social Democrat council vote whether to continue in the government coalition, with the result turning out positive Urve Palo, the Minister of Entrepreneurship, resigned in protest. She was replaced with Liisa Oviir. Social Democrats also decided to bring their new chairman Jevgeni Ossinovski into the government as Minister of Health and Labour. The Minister of Defence and former chairman of Social Democrats Sven Mikser was replaced with Hannes Hanso.
On 9 September 2016 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marina Kaljurand, announced her resignation to run independently in the 2016 Estonian presidential election. She had previously been the favourite for Reform Party nominee, but was eventually dropped in favour of Siim Kallas. In a ministerial reshuffle Jürgen Ligi was moved from the chair of Minister of Education to Minister of Foreign Affairs with Maris Lauri taking his seat in the Ministry of Education and Research.