Silver Meikar
Encyclopedia
Silver Meikar is an Estonia
n politician, a member of the Estonian Reform Party
since 1997. Silver Meikar is a member of the parliament of Estonia - Riigikogu
. He is also a member of the AWEPA
Governing Council.
Silver Meikar got the basic and secondary school education in Tartu Miina Härma
Gymnasium. He graduated from the University of Tartu
with a degree in economics
in 2005.
He served as a member of Tartu City Council in 1999 - 2002 and 2005 - 2006. In 2003 Silver Meikar became a member of the parliament of Estonia as Margus Hanson
became the Minister of Defence. Silver Meikar was set up as a candidate to the European Parliament
in 2004. He lost his seat in Riigikogu as Margus Hanson was dismissed in November 2004 due to the theft of classified documents from his home. Silver Meikar re-gained his seat on November 23, 2006 as Margus Hanson was convicted for leaking state-classified data.
Silver Meikar was re-elected to Riigikogu on March 4, 2007. He is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the chairman of Estonia - Serbia
parliamentary group, Estonia - Ukraine
parliamentary group, Estonia - Australia
parliamentary group, Burma Support group and the Association in Defence of Democratic Development of Belarus
. He is the vice-chairman of Estonia-Africa
, Estonia - Great Britain
, Estonia - U.S.
, Estonia - Moldova
, Estonia - Georgia
parliamentary groups and of the Support Group for Democracy in Cuba
.
In May 2008 Silver Meikar was elected to be a member of the Bureau of the Liberal International
. In October 2009 he was re-elected.
In 2006 Silver Meikar published the book The Diary of the Orange Revolution
("Oranži revolutsiooni päevik" in Estonian) on the events in Ukraine from November 2004 to January 2005 when he was one of the observers of the presidential elections in Ukraine and later on a participant in the Orange Revolution. He has published numerous articles in the Estonian media.
He has become notable with political activities that encompass defending the human rights
in Belarus, Burma, China and elsewhere, drawing attention to the difficult situation in developing countries and supporting the reform process in Ukraine and Georgia. He has also been advocating for the respect of civil liberties
in Estonia. Silver Meikar has been the protagonist of electronic voting
and e-democracy
in Estonia. He was the first Estonian politician to create a personal weblog.
Silver Meikar is married and has got a daughter.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n politician, a member of the Estonian Reform Party
Estonian Reform Party
The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature...
since 1997. Silver Meikar is a member of the parliament of Estonia - Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
. He is also a member of the AWEPA
AWEPA
The Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa is an international non-governmental organisation founded by European Parliamentarians to reduce poverty and to protect human rights by supporting the well functioning of parliaments in Africa and by keeping Africa on the political agenda in...
Governing Council.
Silver Meikar got the basic and secondary school education in Tartu Miina Härma
Miina Härma
Miina Härma was a widely-recognised Estonian composer. She was the second Estonian second musician with higher education....
Gymnasium. He graduated from the University of Tartu
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
with a degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 2005.
He served as a member of Tartu City Council in 1999 - 2002 and 2005 - 2006. In 2003 Silver Meikar became a member of the parliament of Estonia as Margus Hanson
Margus Hanson
Margus Hanson is an Estonian politician.-Career:Between 1997 and 2003, Hanson was a Vice-Mayor of Tartu.He has been a member of Riigikogu since 2004 and was the defense minister of Estonia from 2003 until 2004....
became the Minister of Defence. Silver Meikar was set up as a candidate to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 2004. He lost his seat in Riigikogu as Margus Hanson was dismissed in November 2004 due to the theft of classified documents from his home. Silver Meikar re-gained his seat on November 23, 2006 as Margus Hanson was convicted for leaking state-classified data.
Silver Meikar was re-elected to Riigikogu on March 4, 2007. He is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the chairman of Estonia - Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
parliamentary group, Estonia - Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
parliamentary group, Estonia - Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
parliamentary group, Burma Support group and the Association in Defence of Democratic Development of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. He is the vice-chairman of Estonia-Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Estonia - Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Estonia - U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Estonia - Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Estonia - Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
parliamentary groups and of the Support Group for Democracy in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
In May 2008 Silver Meikar was elected to be a member of the Bureau of the Liberal International
Liberal International
Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the...
. In October 2009 he was re-elected.
In 2006 Silver Meikar published the book The Diary of the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
("Oranži revolutsiooni päevik" in Estonian) on the events in Ukraine from November 2004 to January 2005 when he was one of the observers of the presidential elections in Ukraine and later on a participant in the Orange Revolution. He has published numerous articles in the Estonian media.
He has become notable with political activities that encompass defending the human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in Belarus, Burma, China and elsewhere, drawing attention to the difficult situation in developing countries and supporting the reform process in Ukraine and Georgia. He has also been advocating for the respect of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
in Estonia. Silver Meikar has been the protagonist of electronic voting
Electronic voting
Electronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
and e-democracy
E-democracy
E-democracy refers to the use of information technologies and communication technologies and strategies in political and governance processes...
in Estonia. He was the first Estonian politician to create a personal weblog.
Silver Meikar is married and has got a daughter.