TALLINN, Estonia — Arnold Rüütel, who was the final communist leader of Soviet Estonia and subsequently the country’s second president following the reestablishment of independence, has passed away at the age of 96.

The Estonian president’s office, led by Alar Karis, confirmed Rüütel’s death on its official website on Tuesday.

Rüütel, an agricultural expert by training, entered prominent roles in the communist party of the Soviet republic of Estonia in 1977 when he was close to 50 years old. By 1983, he had risen to the position of chairman of the republic’s supreme council, marking him as the highest-ranking communist official in Estonia during that period.

However, Rüütel soon began to leverage his influential post to push for Estonia’s independence from the Soviet Union, which had occupied the nation since 1940. In November 1988, he played a crucial role in drafting a declaration of independence, achieving full sovereignty for Estonia just three years later.

Once Estonia regained its independence, Rüütel, who had to navigate the challenges of a significant ethnic Russian minority inherited from the Soviet era, promoted social democratic policies and supported farmers. In 1994, he was instrumental in establishing the People’s Union, a leftist political party that participated in several governing coalitions.

Elected president in 2001, Rüütel took over from the well-regarded Lennart Meri and served for five years, during which he guided Estonia’s integration into NATO and the European Union in 2004. Although he sought reelection for another five-year term, he was ultimately defeated by Toomas Hendrik Ilves in 2006.

Reports indicate that Rüütel will receive full state honors during his funeral, though no date has been specified as of Wednesday by the Estonian public broadcaster ERR.