Estonia presidential race next round on Sept 20 .
TALLINN 1996-08-28
Estonia will hold the next round of an inconclusive state presidential race on September 20 , parliamentary officers of the Baltic state ruled on Wednesday .
This comes after three votes in the 101-strong parliament on Monday and Tuesday failed to give either incumbent Lennart Meri or rival candidate Arnold Ruutel the necessary 68 votes for a clear mandate .
The outcome was a rebuff for Meri , failing three times to win backing in his bid for a second term as head of state of the former Soviet republic .
Parliament 's press officer told Reuters that Speaker Toomas Savi will convene an electoral college involving 101 MPs and and 273 local government representatives on September 20 .
Both Meri , 67 , and Ruutel , 68 will automatically be listed as candidates but the election will also be open to new nominations with the backing of any 21 members of the college .
The winner has to secure a majority from the college within two rounds of voting otherwise the election will go back before the parliament .