Estonia’s two-party ruling coalition has lost its majority in the parliament, the Riigikogu, after two MPs resigned from their parties, ERR reports. Meelis Kiili of the Estonian Reform Party and Kalev Stoicescu of Estonia 200 (E200) announced that they were leaving their respective parties. As a result, the coalition now has 50 votes in the 101-seat parliament: Reform with 38 and E200 with 12 MPs, ERR reports. Meanwhile, Lauri Läänemets, chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDE), said that the coalition lost its majority due to Reform leader, Prime Minister Kristen Michal’s decision to expel SDE from the government, ERR reported.
Kiili said that he would continue as an unaffiliated MP but was unsure if he would contest the next parliamentary elections. He said that he disagreed with the coalition on issues of national defence, ERR reported. Stoicescu said that he had received offers to join other parties and would run for parliament again. He said that one option would be to join the non-parliamentary Right-Wingers. Siim Kiisler, deputy chairman of Right-Wingers, confirmed that the party had invited Stoicescu to join, ERR reported. Stoicescu is chairman of the parliament’s national defence committee, while Kiili is a member of the committee.