Estonia's parliament elects country's first female president

TALLINN (Reuters) - The Estonian parliament on Monday elected the country's first female head of state.

Kersti Kaljulaid, 46, a former EU budget auditor, received 81 votes in the election for the five-year presidential term, well above the two-thirds majority of 68 required.

The office is largely symbolic in the Baltic country although it gained weight after outgoing President Toomas Hendrik Ilves carved a role as an outspoken critic of Russia and a campaigner for government digitalization and cybersecurity.

(Corrects day of the week to Monday from Friday.)

(Reporting by David Mardiste and Janis Laizans; Writing by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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