Indrek Toome is a former communist Estonian politician and businessman. He served from 1988 to 1990, and was the last Prime Minister (head of the Council of Ministers) of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic , often abbreviated as Estonian SSR or ESSR, was a republic of the Soviet Union, administered by and subordinated to the Government of the Soviet Union...

.

Early life

Toome was born into a working class family. He completed his studies in 1968 as an electrical engineer at the Polytechnic Institute in Tallinn (Estonian Tallinna Polütehniline Institute, now Tallinn University of Technology

Tallinn University of Technology

Tallinn University of Technology is the only university of technology in Estonia, and one of the three most important institutions of higher education in Estonia generally. It is located in the capital city of Tallinn, Estonia...

).

Career

From 1972 to 1990, Toome held various senior posts in the Leninist Communist Youth Union of Estonia (Eestimaa Leninlik Kommunistlik Noorsooühing - ELKNÜ) and the Communist Party of Estonia (ERP).

From 16 November 1988 until 1990, Toome was chairman of the Ministers of the Estonian SSR and therefore communist prime minister of Estonia. It was under his leadership that the government succumb to pressure from the Singing Revolution, the peaceful liberation of Estonia from the domination of the Soviet Communist Party. With the collapse of Soviet rule in Estonia, on 3 April 1990, he handed over his office to the first freely elected prime minister of Estonia after the Second World War, Edgar Savisaar

Edgar Savisaar

Edgar Savisaar , is an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the leader of the Centre Party. He has served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of Internal affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications...

. On 20 January 1991, Estonia was once again an independent state.

From 1990 to 1992, Toome was a member of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia (Eesti Vabariigi Ülemnõukogu) to Parliament until the first meeting of the Riigikogu. Since 1992, Indrek Toome is a partner in a real estate firm. In 1995, he was convicted of attempted bribery of Tallinn District Court sentenced to a fine.