Another six members of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, have resigned from the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond), and four of them joined the Social Democratic Party (SDE), which is part of the current coalition government, ERR reports. One of those leaving is Tanel Kiik, chairman of the Centre Party’s parliamentary group. Earlier, two of…
Estonia’s former prime minister and former chairman of the Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond), Jüri Ratas, expects more people to leave the opposition party, ERR reports. He said that the party’s new chairman, Tallinn’s Russian-speaking mayor Mihhail Kõlvart, has failed to ensure party unity, noting that most of those who have quit are Estonian-speakers. Earlier, two…
The Estonian opposition party, the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE), remains the country’s most popular party, according to a Norstat poll for the Institute of Societal Research (YI) conducted in October 2023, ERR reports. The survey showed that 23.2% of voters now support EKRE, followed by another conservative opposition party, Fatherland (Isamaa), with 20.2%….
Around 40 people have left the Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) after the election of Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart as the party’s new chairman, ERR reports. The number of resignations may increase later. The Centre Party has over 13,000 registered members. The high-profile people who have left the party include former Tartu mayor and minister Jaan…
Estonia’s Narva City Council has dismissed the city’s mayor, Katri Raik, and appointed city administrator Jelena Golubeva as acting mayor, ERR reports. Altogether 19 out of 31 city councillors voted for the motion of no confidence, which was initiated by Aleksei Jevgrafov of the Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond). Jevgrafov accused Raik of incompetence and failure to…
Over two thirds of Estonians think that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas should resign amid a scandal over business ties with Russia, according to a new Norstat poll for the Institute of Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. The survey showed that 67% of respondents thought that Kallas should resign, while 27% said that she should not….
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Estonian Reform Party leader Kaja Kallas, remains the most popular candidate for prime minister, according to a Norstat poll for the Institute of Societal Research (YI) in late August 2023, ERR reports. The survey showed that 23.7% of voters would like Kallas to remain as prime minister, while 20.2% prefer Jüri Ratas,…
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is under pressure after ERR revealed that Keila-based logistics company Stark Logistics, in which her husband, Arvo Hallik, owns nearly 25% of shares, has continued to do business in Russia. Stark Logistics has shipped metal containers manufactured by Tallinn-based Metaprint to Russia. The majority owner of both Metaprint and Stark Logistics…
Estonia’s Minister of Justice, Kalle Laanet (Reform), has proposed that citizens of “aggressor states” be deprived of the right to vote in local elections in Estonia, ERR reports. The ban would apply to nearly 69,000 Russian and Belarusian citizens who are permanent residents in Estonia. The voter turnout in Estonia’s previous municipal elections in October…