At Monday's vote, there were 37 votes in favor and 37 against, but 40 were needed for a majority. Tallinn governing coalition party Eesti 200 voted against the proposal alongside opposition parties EKRE and Center.

Reform wanted to drop the approximately €50 kindergarten fee for all children in the capital.

"I have decided to resign from the position of deputy mayor of Tallinn," Pere wrote on his social media.

"I am doing this so that the capital's engineers, architects, and city strategists can do their work. I am resigning because I cannot carry out what I came here to do. I see no way to continue in a city government where agreements do not hold."

Pere said he can no longer continue in his position as the coalition agreement was broken.

"I wanted to work in the city so that pedestrians could walk tall in the capital, so that children would be cared for and could ride bicycles safely. So that Nordic street space would support entrepreneurship," he said.

According to the deputy mayor, the current behavior of the city government is not worthy of the capital, and he has had to apologize several times over the past year on behalf of Tallinn.

"I have said that the city government, myself included, has let citizens down. It is not dignified to fight without regard for means at the expense of the work and peace of mind of officials and citizens," said Pere.

The politician confirmed that stepping down was his own decision and that the party did not force him to do so. He will continue as the leader of the Tallinn region of the Reform Party and will run in the local elections this October.

"We do not want the Kõlvarts and Helmeses to come to power, and we will not help them get there. Tallinn is a Nordic and safe urban space," wrote the deputy mayor.

Pere also pointed out that seeing a new generation of people working in the city government gives him hope that Tallinn will continue to develop in the right direction.

"I thank the members of the city government for an eye-opening experience. I will always remember Jevgeni Ossinovski's words: Some dignity should remain," Pere added.

Pere also said he is very grateful to have had the chance to contribute to the development of Tallinn's urban space and promised to continue fighting for a European-style city environment.

Pärtel-Peeter Pere was appointed Deputy Mayor on April 14, 2024. From April 1, 2023, until April 14, 2024, he was a member of the Riigikogu.

On January 13, 2024, he was elected chair of the Reform Party's Tallinn region.

How kindergarten fees broke up and reunited the city government

Today's vote marks the end of a fractious six weeks in the city council.

A power crisis in Tallinn was triggered at the beginning of June when the coalition Reform Party submitted a proposal on the same day as the opposition Center Party to eliminate the kindergarten place fee in city-run kindergartens.

Coalition partners the Social Democrats (SDE), Isamaa, and Eesti 200 did not agree with this and accused the Reform of making an agreement with Center behind their backs.

Experts saw the move as a way for Reform to revive its flagging ratings in the run-up to the local elections.

This was followed by debates when the fee could be abolished, but accusations between Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) and Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) grew increasingly sharp.

On June 26, the Reform Party announced it no longer supported SDE's Ossinovski continuing as mayor. The next day, the Reform Party's Tallinn leadership nominated entrepreneur Urmas Sõõrumaa as their candidate for mayor of Tallinn.

This marked the end of the coalition, and Ossinovski dismissed the Reform Party's deputy mayors. At the same time, Pere made public statements calling for cooperation with the Center Party. The Reform Party also pledged to support a vote of no confidence in Ossinovski. Reform Party leader Kristen Michal announced that the party was moving into opposition in Tallinn.

On July 3, Urmas Sõõrumaa unexpectedly withdrew from his bid to become mayor of Tallinn.

After that, Ossinovski invited the Reform Party back into the coalition, making a formal proposal on July 7. The Reform Party accepted the invitation and did not support the vote of no confidence in Ossinovski on July 8. On the same day, Ossinovski reinstated the mandates of Reform Party deputy mayors Viljar Jaamu and Pärtel-Peeter Pere.

It was jointly decided to abolish the kindergarten place fee starting September 1. Estonia 200, also part of the Tallinn coalition, did not support the abolition of the fee.

This article was updated to add context.

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