More prominent members of the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) have left the party after the election of Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart as the party’s new chairman, ERR reports. Former party board chair, Tallinn deputy mayor, and environment minister Tõnis Mölder and the party’s former defence spokesman, Neeme Väli, are the latest high-profile members to leave. Mölder, who was a member of the Centre Party since 2008, joined national-conservative Fatherland (Isamaa). He said that the Centre Party had moved “from the middle to the extreme” and had chosen to focus on appealing to Russian-speaking voters. Väli noted that Kõlvart was linked to Russian influence operations. Kõlvart’s rival for party chair, MP Tanel Kiik, warned that more people could leave the Centre Party if Kõlvart failed to maintain the current party line. Political scientist Martin Mölder said that the Centre Party was becoming a party of Tallinn and Ida-Virumaa county. The Centre Party now has 16% voter support, including 9% among Estonian-speakers and 52% among Russian-speakers, according to the latest Kantar Emor poll.
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