Maris Lauri confirmed in a comment to ERR that members of the Reform Party board had proposed she run as the party's mayoral candidate. She also acknowledged that she had to be convinced at length before agreeing to run.

"Let's just say that it took quite a bit of convincing and explanation, because I truly value my work in the Riigikogu. But it's always also about the team — supporting the team, helping it move forward. It seemed to me that the Tallinn team had a strong desire for me to assist them. And of course, it's also important that Tallinn is my hometown. I want to see it as a beautiful, pleasant and livable place — a city of happy people," Lauri explained.

Just a month ago, the Reform Party's Tallinn branch had named entrepreneur Urmas Sõõrumaa as its candidate for mayor, though Lauri had also been under consideration at the time. According to Lauri, the party was in a different situation back then, which is why a different decision was made.

"Let's put it this way — the choices and circumstances were different at the time," she said.

Sõõrumaa, the Reform Party's previous mayoral candidate in Tallinn, will remain on the team and plans to run in the upcoming elections.

Lauri also affirmed the position of both the prime minister and the party: she has no intention of forming a coalition with EKRE or the Center Party due to major differences in values.

"It's very difficult to cooperate in a situation where the core values are fundamentally different from those of our party. My experience working in the Riigikogu has shown that the greater and more fundamental the differences, the more likely things become impossible or irrational. When we look at EKRE, they are our polar opposites in terms of fundamental values — finding common ground is extremely difficult," Lauri explained.

"With the Center Party, the contradictions are slightly fewer or less sharp, but still numerous enough. For us, pro-Estonian values, Estonian-language education and internal security are all important. It also matters that they have been convicted. Unlike the previous party leader, who admitted wrongdoing, the current leader has not done so. They refuse to acknowledge any mistakes. In a way, it's like stepping outside the legal system," she added.

Lauri did not confirm whether the party would continue its controversial policy of eliminating kindergarten fees, but she did not rule it out either.

"We have certain values and principles that have guided our support for this, but we also see that people are increasingly concerned with other issues. We'll be discussing this further to determine our path forward," the Reform Party politician said.

The Reform Party recently caused a city government crisis in Tallinn when it sought to cooperate with the opposition Center Party in an attempt to abolish kindergarten fees and oust Social Democratic Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski, which culminated in Reform quitting the city government themselves. PM and Reform Party head Kristen Michal has since distanced the party from Center in a bid to repair its ailing rating.

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