Riigikogu appoints Alar Karis as new Auditor General

Toomas Mattson | 3/26/2013 | 12:56 PM

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TALLINN, 26 March 2013 – The Riigikogu named Alar Karis the new Auditor General today. 76 members of the Riigikogu voted in his favour, four voted against and three remained undecided. Karis was the rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences from 2003-2007 and the rector of the University of Tartu from 2007-2012.

The second term of office of Mihkel Oviir, who has managed the National Audit Office since 2003, will come to an end at midnight on 6 April, when he will retire.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves praised the Riigikogu for voting in favour of Alar Karis today.

“The Riigikogu’s fractions demonstrated their professionalism, thoroughness and objectivity when discussing this candidate for the position of manager of an important constitutional institution,” said President Ilves. “I am certain that Alar, who is independent of all political parties, will be a committed and modern auditor general who will look to the future and help Estonia achieve the best sustainable solutions in many areas via the audits carried out by the National Audit Office. I would like to congratulate him and wish him every success in his work.”
The President of the Republic also thanked Mihkel Oviir, who had held the office of auditor general since 2003 and whose experience, expertise and statesmanship guaranteed stability in the management of the National Audit Office.

Oviir has said that Karis is an exceptional choice as his successor. “Alar is a candidate who cannot be suspected of any political bias. Although he is a top scientist in his field, he also has remarkable experience in administration – he has managed several universities, including the University of Tartu. I was mainly a practitioner of administration in the area of justice, but Alar is both a scientist who thinks systematically and a practitioner of administration. I’m sure that this experience has also been of benefit to him on the supervisory board of the Development Fund and the Estonian Rectors Conference, which he is still managing. His background as a scientist is certain to bring new elements to the way the National Audit Office carries out its audits.

“Five years ago, the National Audit Office started paying more attention to audits that look to the future. The President also emphasised in his Independence Day speech this year that we need to look ahead so that we can choose the correct course of action and guarantee the sustainable development of our country and people. I’m certain that Alar will continue to foster developments in this area, which is open and looks to the future, in the National Audit Office. By the way, I recommend reading his collection of articles, speeches, interviews and opinions that was published last year. It has a very meaningful title – ‘Letter to the Future’ – and it represents the voice of reason.”

Toomas Mattson
Head of Communication Service at the National Audit Office
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[email protected]
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  • Posted: 3/26/2013 12:56 PM
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