Rüütel was the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia until October 1992.
Rüütel was a member of the Constitutional Assembly between 1991 and 1992 drafting the new Constitution of the Republic of Estonia; in 1992 he was a candidate for the presidency and received 43% of the vote.
Elected by an electoral college on September 21, 2001, Rüütel was inaugurated as the President of the Republic of Estonia on October 8, 2001.