Rein Aidma (born 28 September 1950,

Sälliksaare Sälliksaare is a village in Mustvee Parish, Jõgeva County in northeastern Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland acros ...

) is an Estonian politician and pedagogue who was a member of the

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian language, Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minis ...

, representing the

Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party ( et, Eesti Reformierakond) is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kaja Kallas since 2018. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party" ( et, Oravapartei). It was founded in 1994 by ...

from 2003 to 2015.

Education and work

Aidma graduated from

Nõo Nõo is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Tartu County, in southern Estonia. It's located about 15 km southwest of the city of Tartu by the Tartu– Valga–Riga railway and the European route E264 (also known as Via Hanseatica). Nõo is the ...

Secondary School in 1970 and earned a degree in physics from the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

in 1975. He worked as a director and teacher at

Iisaku Iisaku is a small borough (') in northeastern Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county in Alutaguse Parish, around 30 km south from the town of Jõhvi. Iisaku was the administrative centre of Iisaku Parish. As of 2011 Census, the settlem ...

Secondary School from 1975 to 1989. From 1991 to 1993, he worked at Ontika Adult Training Center.

Political career

Aidma was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1990, and was a member of the

Congress of Estonia The Congress of Estonia ( Estonian: ''Eesti Kongress'') was an innovative grassroots parliament established in Estonia in 1990–1992 as a part of the process of regaining of independence from the Soviet Union. It also challenged the power and au ...

from 1990 to 1992. He was the deputy chairman of the executive committee of

Ida-Viru County Ida-Viru County ( et, Ida-Viru maakond or ''Ida-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is the most north-eastern part of the country. The county contains large deposits of oil shale - the main mineral mined in Estonia. Oil shale is use ...

from 1989 to 1991 and the governor of Ida-Viru County from 1994 to 2003, where he was succeeded by Ago Silde. Since 2002, he has been a member of the

. In 2007, Aidma paid a total of 5,223 kr to Saka Cliff Hotel and Spa at a cost of living from December 27, indicating that the event was an annual summing up with voters. He said, "They are my constituents, and this is not the issue of journalism with whom I meet. This is not publicly available to other parties. Point: This is my circle of voters!" Aidma was a member of the

from 2003 to 2011. He applied for the 2011 Riigikogu elections and received 1250 votes, but was not elected. He was a part of the Riigikogu again from 2011 to 2015, despite not being elected, when Kristiina Ojuland, a Member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...

, withdrew from the Riigikogu. In selecting the municipal elections in 2013, Aidma applied for running in Avinurme Parish but was not elected, as he only got 7 votes. In the 2015 Riigikogu elections, Aidma ran again in Ida-Viru County, but only received 655 votes and was not elected.

Awards

* 3rd class of the Order of the White Star (received 23 February 2001) * Ida-Virumaa Order (2003) * Border Guard, Rescue Board and National Defense League decorations * Order of the Defense Forces * Cross of Special Services of the Defense Forces

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aidma, Rein 1950 births Living people People from Mustvee Parish Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Estonian Reform Party politicians Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 University of Tartu alumni Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class