Estonia's electoral college picked former communist Mr Arnold Ruutel today to be the country's second post-Soviet president and lead the country into the European Union and NATO.
Electoral commission head Ms Heiki Sibul told the assembly Mr Ruutel had topped the ballot with 186 votes, giving him two votes more than the majority he needed to become the next head of state.
Mr Ruutel (73) was backed by parliament's opposition. He was the chairman of Estonia's Supreme Soviet legislature when the country regained independence from Moscow in 1991 and was once a member of the central committee of Estonia's Soviet-era communist party.
Mr Ruutel and Parliament Speaker Mr Toomas Savi were the top two candidates in the first round vote held earlier today. The electoral college was called to choose the president after a deadlocked parliament failed to pick one last month.