Ülo Nugis

Ülo Nugis (28 April 1944 – 18 November 2011) was an Estonian politician and economist. As Speaker of the Supreme Council of Estonia on 20 August 1991, he presided over the Supreme Council's historic session when it voted for the restoration of Estonia's national independence from the Soviet Union.

Early life Ülo Nugis was born on 28 April 1944 in Tallinn. He studied at Tallinn Technical Secondary School for Building and Mechanics from 1958 to 1962, at Tallinn Polytechnic Institute from 1962 to 1965, and finally at Belarusian State Polytechnic Institute from 1965 to 1967 graduating in mechanical engineering.

Career Nugis worked as a teacher at Tallinn Technical Secondary School for Building and Mechanics from 1967 to 1968, and at various positions in the Pioneer and Tegur factories from 1968 to 1974. In 1974, Nugis became director of the building materials factory Ehitusdetail, and in 1980 director of a ski factory, Dünamo. Nugis was elected deputy of the Tallinn-Lenin national-territorial electoral district No. 449 of the Estonian SSR to the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union in March 1989.

In 1990, Nugis was elected to the Estonian Supreme Council at the first mostly free elections, becoming Speaker. That same year, he left the Communist Party and founded the Republican Coalition Party. On 20 August 1991, he presided over the Supreme Council's historic session where it voted to restore Estonia's national independence, with the gavel strike by Nugis confirming the result. In October, Nugis became the first Estonian politician to publicly state that the country should try to join NATO as soon as possible, even as Soviet troops were still present in the Baltic nation.

In 1992 he became the speaker of the newly elected Riigikogu. At the same year Nugis retired from politics.

Nugis was a member of the 20 August Club which is an organization that is composed of the former members of the Supreme Council who had voted for the restoration of Estonian independence. Nugis was buried at Metsakalmistu cemetery.

Awards Nugis was awarded Order of the National Coat of Arms 4th class in 2001 and 2nd class in 2004, and memorial medal “10 years of restoration of the Defence Forces” in 2001.