Reform will confirm its mayoral candidate for Tartu in the coming weeks.

"Most likely it will be me, the current mayor," said Urmas Klaas.

The party's slogan in Estonia's second-largest city is "For a Better Tartu!"

"Our program is also nearing completion. The main themes are a safe and crisis-resilient Tartu, everyone in Tartu must feel safe and enjoy living here. Traffic must be safe and smooth for all road users. Tartu will also continue building shelters in both educational institutions and residential associations," Klaas said.

"We also have the topic of economic development, to ensure that the economy grows in Tartu. For that, we need to remove bureaucratic obstacles and continue supporting international transport connections so that Tartu remains easily accessible for businesses," the mayor explained.

Reform's third point of focus is the health of Tartu's residents. "The city government has the ability to improve the living environment in Tartu so that people can live here as long and healthily as possible," said Klaas. He highlighted the development of green areas and the construction of the Südalinn Cultural Center as part of that vision.

Eesti 200 will run a full list in Tartu's local elections. "We have a very strong team in Tartu; we are also the largest opposition force in the city," said party chair Kristina Kallas.

Kallas is Eesti 200's candidate for mayor. "I take that responsibility. I've lived in Tartu for 30 years. I'm running for mayor of Tartu," said Kallas, who is also the minister of education.

"We have a very strong council faction, and they will definitely run as well," she added. Eesti 200 will confirm its full list at the end of August.

"Tartu's challenge is to develop at a faster pace alongside Tallinn and Pärnu. Tartu must grow as an international city. The ambition for international manufacturing and businesses to come to Tartu also requires the necessary connections. Based on that, Tartu can grow – and Tartu must grow," Kallas said.

The Social Democrats' mayoral candidate is Elo Kiivet, currently Tartu's deputy mayor for spatial issues.

"Alongside questions related to urban space, my main focus is on matters related to home life – whether homes are accessible for people, whether housing costs are affordable, and whether kindergartens and schools are close to home for young residents," she said.

"And elderly people must also have access to home care or nursing home placements. In my vision, Tartu is a boldly distinctive and people-centered city that is safe and crisis-resilient," Kiivet added.

Isamaa announced that its candidate for Tartu mayor is Tõnis Lukas, who will focus on the health of Tartu residents.

Other parties were more reserved when commenting on their lead candidates for the city.

Center Party chairman Mihhail Kõlvart said he is not ready to reveal the name yet. "We have several people to choose from, but it would not be appropriate to announce it publicly yet," he said, citing the party's procedural rules.

Kõlvart said he would be ready to name the candidate after Midsummer Day.

EKRE's Tartu district chair Merike Lumi told ERR that the party's internal district elections will be held in August, so there are no confirmed names yet. However, she is likely to be one of the options.

At the same time, there has also been speculation about Helle-Moonika Helme's candidacy for the post.

The local government council elections will take place on October 19.

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