The council of elders of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, agreed that the next presidential election could be held on 2-3 September 2026, ERR reports. The council will meet again on 26 February 2026 to discuss a possible candidate to the post. Õnne Pillak, chairwoman of the parliamentary group of the ruling Estonian Reform Party,…
Estonia’s national conservative opposition party, Fatherland (Isamaa), remained the country’s most popular political party in January 2026, according to Norstat’s latest poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. Fatherland’s support stood at 26.4%, followed by the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) with 20.7% and the ruling Estonian Reform Party with 15.2%. The…
Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, criticised President Alar Karis who suggested helping Hungary pay fines for cancelling oil contracts with Russia, ERR reported. Speaking in an interview with Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, Karis urged Hungary to end the contracts. Tsahkna insisted that it would be “inconceivable” for states that had freed themselves of dependence on Russian…
The European Commission (EC) warned that the current funding model for Estonia’s public broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), may violate the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), ERR reports. Giuseppe Abbamonte, deputy director-general of the EC’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology in charge of media policy, stated that Estonia’s protection of the independence of public…
Estonia’s national-conservative opposition party, Fatherland (Isamaa), continued as the country’s most popular political party in December 2025, according to Kantar Emor’s latest poll, ERR reports. Support for Fatherland stood at 24%, which was down from 26% in January 2025. Left-of-centre opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) came second with 21% (13%), followed by opposition Social Democratic…
The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has rejected the opposition Estonian Centre Party’s (Keskerakond) proposal to lower the VAT on basic food products to 9%, ERR reports. No MPs voted against the proposal, but 42 MPs, mostly from the ruling coalition, abstained. Under the proposal, the VAT on specific categories of food, including vegetables and dairy,…
The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has approved the state budget for 2026 with 51 MPs voting for and 37 against, ERR reports. The government estimates annual budget revenue at EUR 18.6bn and expenditure at EUR 19.5bn. Investments will total EUR 1.3bn, which will be 45% more than in 2025. Then government expects tax revenues to…
The Estonian government’s job approval continued to be dismal in November 2025, according to the latest Norstat poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. Only 28% of eligible voters think that the government is doing a good job, while 66% think that the government is doing its job poorly. Prime Minister Kristen…
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna panned comments by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel who implied that the Baltic States and Poland bore indirect responsibility for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, ERR reported. Tsahkna said that the reason for Russia’s aggression lies in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inability to come to terms with the collapse of the…