--- title: "Ülle Madise takes office as Estonia’s president with a call to rebuild trust" id: "90832" type: "post" slug: "ulle-madise-takes-office-as-estonias-president-with-call-to-rebuild-trust" published_at: "2026-10-12T14:10:29+00:00" modified_at: "2026-10-12T14:40:14+00:00" url: "https://estonianworld.com/life/ulle-madise-takes-office-as-estonias-president-with-call-to-rebuild-trust/" markdown_url: "https://estonianworld.com/life/ulle-madise-takes-office-as-estonias-president-with-call-to-rebuild-trust.md" excerpt: "Estonia’s new president, Ülle Madise, used her first address to warn that fear, indifference and political hostility were corroding public trust, urging the country to […]" taxonomy_category: - "Life" publisher: "Estonian World" language: "en-GB" author: "Silver Tambur" author_url: "https://estonianworld.com/author/silver/" --- # Ülle Madise takes office as Estonia’s president with a call to rebuild trust ![Ülle Madise takes the oath of office before the Estonian parliament on 12 October 2026. Photo: Raigo Pajula.](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55584584246_97ea8a3d1c_o-1-1024x576.jpg) Ülle Madise takes the oath of office before the Estonian parliament on 12 October 2026. Photo: Raigo Pajula. By [Silver Tambur](https://estonianworld.com/author/silver/) · October 12, 2026 · [Life](https://estonianworld.com/category/life/) · 4 minutes of reading **Estonia’s new president, Ülle Madise, used her first address to warn that fear, indifference and political hostility were corroding public trust, urging the country to stand behind Ukraine and give every child the chance of a good education.** Madise was sworn in as Estonia’s president on Monday, calling on the country to rebuild trust, stand firmly behind Ukraine and make sure every child has the chance of a good education. Madise took the oath of office before the Estonian parliament, pledging to defend the constitution and laws, exercise her powers justly and impartially, and fulfil her duties to the best of her ability. [https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55583553772_d5e5294f2e_o-scaled.jpg](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55583553772_d5e5294f2e_o-scaled.jpg) President Ülle Madise’s signed oath of office. Photo: Raigo Pajula. Outgoing president [Alar Karis](https://estonianworld.com/life/estonias-president-alar-karis-says-he-will-not-seek-a-second-term/) then placed the presidential chain of office around her neck. Madise, 51, was [elected on 2 September](https://estonianworld.com/life/ulle-madise-is-elected-the-next-president-of-estonia/) with 71 votes in parliament’s 101 seats. She is Estonia’s second female president, after [Kersti Kaljulaid](https://estonianworld.com/people/former-european-auditor-kersti-kaljulaid-elected-president-estonia/) , who served from 2016 to 2021. In her first address as head of state, Madise said Estonia’s future depended on “trust, hope for the future and courage”. She urged people to recognise the everyday acts of kindness and mutual help that sustain communities, and warned that people who serve others are too often met with indifference or bureaucracy when they need help themselves. “We need far more trust and warm recognition,” she said. “Each of us has trained for our profession and is an expert doing our best.” [https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55583553787_c1ba1741dd_o.jpg](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55583553787_c1ba1741dd_o.jpg) Outgoing president Alar Karis congratulates Ülle Madise after handing her the presidential chain of office. Photo: Raigo Pajula. Madise said attempts over the past decade to prescribe how people should live, think, feel or speak had damaged trust. The lesson, she said, was that it now had to be rebuilt. She warned against indifference, political hostility and fearmongering, saying people should not withdraw from public life or be turned against one another. The president also addressed the security situation, describing the world as unpredictable and dangerous while urging Estonians not to give in to fear or hopelessness. Ukraine must be supported “in every way we can imagine” until Russia’s war of aggression ends and a lasting, just peace is achieved, she said. War criminals must be punished and Russia must pay for the damage. [https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55584999875_4854c071af_o-scaled.jpg](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55584999875_4854c071af_o-scaled.jpg) Ülle Madise signs the oath of office during the presidential inauguration ceremony. Photo: Raigo Pajula. Madise said Estonia’s security rested on its own defence forces and comprehensive national defence, as well as its neighbours and allies in the Baltic and Nordic countries, Poland, Europe and NATO. She also called for equal access to good education for all children, regardless of where they live, their family circumstances or whether they are still learning Estonian. Education, she said, was Estonia’s “trump card”. Artificial intelligence should serve humanity, Madise said, and smaller and poorer countries should be able to benefit from it. She urged Estonia to help ensure that its language and culture, along with those of other small nations, are properly represented in AI models. She also warned that armies of bots serving aggressor states were spreading disinformation and teaching AI to lie. [https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55584700658_f6334ee7e2_o.jpg](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55584700658_f6334ee7e2_o.jpg) President Ülle Madise addresses the Estonian parliament after taking office. Photo: Raigo Pajula. The president said Estonia needed to make more room for culture, improve mental health and reduce the pressures that wear people down. She also called for a strong, adaptable economy, with less unnecessary bureaucracy and more scope for enterprise. Madise said she would meet people across Estonia and carry their concerns to the country’s decision-makers. The president, she added, should work with parliament, the government and constitutional institutions while respecting their roles. ![Ülle Madise takes the oath of office as the parliament speaker Lauri Hussar looks on. Photo: Raigo Pajula.](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/55584584246_97ea8a3d1c_o-1024x683.jpg) Ülle Madise takes the oath of office as the parliament speaker Lauri Hussar looks on. Photo: Raigo Pajula. Karis, in his farewell address, said he was leaving office with a firm conviction that Estonians could manage through difficulty and crisis. He urged politicians and officials to show greater courage in decision-making, and called for bold solutions, willingness to take risks and more trust in younger generations. “The office of the head of state of Estonia is a great honour and an even greater responsibility,” Karis told Madise. He wished her the strength and wisdom to fulfil the role and urged her to remain true to herself. Madise thanked Karis and his wife, Sirje Karis, whose work for Ukrainian children she said deserved the highest recognition. She closed her address with a call for Estonians to trust one another, value freedom and responsibility, believe in their country and maintain a hopeful outlook. “Then all good things are possible,” she said. “Long live Estonia!” ## About The Author ![Avatar photo](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/local-avatars/2/1572652467-bpfull-100x100.jpg) [Silver Tambur](https://estonianworld.com/author/silver/) Silver Tambur, co-founder and publisher of *Estonian World*, studied journalism at the University of Tartu and politics at Birkbeck, University of London. He has edited Estonian Public Broadcasting’s English news and contributed to *Business Sense*, *Deutsche Welle*, and *Radio New Zealand*. He is currently editor-in-chief of *Trialoog*, TalTech’s business and research portal. You can also follow him on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SilverTambur) and like [his page on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/silvertamburpage/) . You can write to Silver at [silver@estonianworld.com](mailto:silver@estonianworld.com) .