Estonia fails to elect president

TALLINN, Estonia -- Estonia's parliament has failed to elect the country's second post-Soviet era president following a first round of voting.

Electoral commission head Heiki Sibul told MPs on Monday that neither former Prime Minister Andres Tarand nor opposition candidate Peeter Kreitzberg gained the 68 votes necessary to win.

Sibul said 38 MPs voted in favour of Tarand and 40 for Kreitzberg.

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A second and third round of voting is possible on Tuesday, in which case the two ruling parties behind Tarand -- Pro Patria and the Moderates -- have said they would support academic Peeter Tulviste.

A third party in the ruling coalition -- Reform -- has said it will back Parliament Speaker Toomas Savi, but will nominate him only in the event of an electoral college vote.

Analysts have widely predicted a hung parliament.

If no candidate wins 68 votes in parliament this week, then Estonia will convene an electoral college of MPs and local government representatives on September 21.

Analysts say Estonia's second head of state since independence 10 years ago will have a tough act to follow.

The incumbent, 72-year-old Lennart Meri, is a popular multilingual intellectual who has been an eloquent spokesman for the country's European Union and NATO membership aspirations.

Meri, known for his wry sense of humour, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third five-year term.

The new president will lead a country whose tough reforms have made it a top candidate to join the EU, but left its 1.4 million people living in an economic divide.