According to Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE), recent talk by Reform Party mayoral candidate Urmas Sõõrumaa about negotiations with other parties was merely a smokescreen "to make this coalition somehow more palatable."

"The Reform Party has not taken a single real step to preserve the current coalition," Ossinovski said.

"A coalition with the Center Party is not 'inevitable,' as Pärtel-Peeter Pere is trying to convince his party, but rather a conscious decision by the Reform Party. Even today, the Reform Party could return to the current coalition by withdrawing its no-confidence motion against the city government. Granted, Pärtel-Peeter Pere could no longer serve in the city government — he has lost all credibility among both colleagues and the public. But there are many capable people in the Reform Party with whom we could work very well in the city administration — from Maris Lauri to Mati Raidma," the mayor said.

Ossinovski argued that the so-called apolitical city government proposed by Sõõrumaa is in fact a Reform-Center coalition that operates at the mercy of the Center Party.

"Of course, these future 'apolitical' experts will have to coordinate all their political decisions with [Center leader Mihhail] Kõlvart," Ossinovski added.

The mayor called the situation — where the capital is governed by a coalition of two parties without a public coalition agreement — unprecedented.

"Democratic governance is rooted in transparency. That means parties publicly declare their goals and spell out the decisions they intend to make together. But because a coalition between the Reform Party and the Center Party is toxic to both of their voter bases, they're so ashamed of each other that they refuse to formalize the agreement. Of course, the agreement exists: the [Prime Minister Kristen] Michal–Kõlvart Pact has its secret protocols. Given how deeply the new mayor is tied to the city's finances, this reduces transparency and increases the risk of corruption," Ossinovski added.

Ossinovski referred to Kõlvart as the "real leader of the coalition."

"It is only by his grace that they hold office, and of course it won't be Pärtel-Peeter Pere serving as the politically inexperienced mayor's top advisor — it will be Mihhail Kõlvart. Yet Kõlvart is merely a council member who can always claim ignorance," said Ossinovski.

"As a comparison, it reminds me of the Medvedev–Putin tandem from 2008 to 2012. Medvedev appeared to be in charge, but it was Putin who really ruled. And then, come the next presidential election, the real leader simply stepped back in. According to the terms of this pact, Kõlvart will become mayor after the election, while Sõõrumaa returns to his business interests," Ossinovski said.

"I don't believe Reform Party members have the strength to oppose Michal, which is why the first part of the pact will go through next week and the current city government will be ousted. But voters still have the power to prevent deep-rooted corruption in Tallinn after October 19," the mayor added.

Ossinovski said the key question in the next election will be whether he or Kõlvart becomes the next mayor.

On Tuesday, Reform Party mayoral candidate Urmas Sõõrumaa announced his intention to form a technocratic city government composed entirely of non-politicians, based on the guidance of the Reform Party and the Center Party in the city council. According to city council chair Toomas Kruusimägi (Reform), the no-confidence vote against the mayor could take place as early as next Monday.

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