Mart Laar (April 22 1960 in Viljandi), was the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2002.
Laar is a member of the Pro Patria Union. As well as being a politician Laar has written several books on Estonian and Russian history. Laar was also a history teacher in Tallinn, as well as the past president of Council of Historians of the Foundation of the Estonia Inheritance, the Society for the Preservation of Estonia History and the Society of University Students of Estonian. Laar graduated form Tartu University in 1983, and received his masters degree from the same university in 1995.
On 21 October 1992 Laar was installed by the Riigikogu as Prime Minister, after being appointed to the post by then President Lennart Meri. In an 1994 no-confidence vote, parliament removed the historian from office amid opposition accusations of lying to the people. This following murky deals involving the disappearance of millions of rubles meant to go back to Russia after the kroon national currency was launched
Five years later, in 1999, he returned to the post, with the tasks of pulling the economy out of a slump and leading the country toward the European Union as his main policy goals. He remained in the post until he stepped down in 2002.
Many credit Laar for leading Estonia through lightning economic reforms that won Western praise and ultimately laid the groundwork for rapid economic growth and acceptance to European Union entry talks. It is also believed that Laar's economic reforms led to the Baltic Tiger period starting for Estonia after 2000. But the reforms were tough, and Laar was hurt by scandal concerning the ruble deal and by a multimillion-dollar Israeli arms purchase.