Estonia: Mihhail Kõlvart elected new chair of Estonian Centre Party

An extraordinary congress of the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) has elected Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart as the party’s new chairman, ERR reports. Kõlvart won with 543 votes against MP Tanel Kiik who received 489 votes. Kõlvart replaced Jüri Ratas, who supported Kiik for his successor. Ratas had chaired the Centre Party since 2016. Kõlvart’s supporters won more seats than Kiik’s supporters on the party’s governing board as well. Speaking after his election, Kõlvart said that he wanted to turn the Centre Party into a ruling party again. Meanwhile, former party leader Andra Veidemann announced that she would quit the party immediately after Kõlvart’s victory. The Centre Party held its congress in Paide on 10 September 2023.