On Monday, the Reform Party nominated Maris Lauri as its mayoral candidate in Tallinn. Like the prime minister last week, Lauri ruled out cooperation with EKRE and the Center Party.

"The Reform Party's candidate for mayor is, of course, their own decision. But I think the people of Tallinn are expecting something substantive — not just a slogan that the Reform Party won't work with the Center Party or EKRE. And in that regard, I don't see many meaningful or original proposals today. As for this ruling out of others, it seems to me that this can't be the main value or principle. It's disrespectful to voters and, in my opinion, an empty slogan," Mihhail Kõlvart told ERR.

The Social Democratic Party and Eesti 200 have also ruled out cooperation with the Center Party and EKRE.

"If all the parties decide that exclusion is the strongest message they can offer voters, at some point we'll reach a situation where no coalition is mathematically possible. Some parties are heading in the direction of telling voters they only have two options — either the Center Party with a likely partner or the same formula we've seen for the past year and a half: four parties and chaos in the city's administration," Kõlvart said.

"I don't think it's reasonable to force voters to choose between just two options," he added.

According to Kõlvart, such exclusions show that these parties are thinking only in three-month terms in hopes of getting more votes in the local elections. He believes their time horizon should be longer.

"People are actually looking for solutions and a clear vision for how to develop the city. Messages about who's willing to work with whom — or not — aren't really what people need," Kõlvart said.

Center will not join Reform in a coalition at the national level

If Eesti 200 were to collapse after the local elections — as has been speculated — the Reform Party might need a new partner at the national level. Kõlvart said that the Center Party will not fill that role.

"There's already been a fair amount of speculation about this scenario — namely, that Eesti 200 falls apart and the question becomes who Reform's next partner on Toompea will be. I can say with absolute certainty that it will definitely not be the Center Party," Kõlvart said.

ERR then pointed out that this amounts to Kõlvart himself, as party leader, ruling out cooperation with another party — something he had just criticized others for.

"No, what we are ruling out is cooperation with the Reform Party on Toompea — and not after the elections, but right now, in a situation where the Reform Party doesn't even have a mandate to implement its decisions. I can't imagine the Center Party helping to carry out the kind of policies we're seeing at the moment. That's a completely different matter," Kõlvart emphasized.

"We're not talking about what will happen after the next Riigikogu elections, nor about what will happen after the local elections. At that point, voters give their mandate and decide who has a theoretical possibility to form a coalition," he added.

According to Kõlvart, it's also possible the Reform Party could be left to govern alone at the national level, which would lead to a deadlock. However, he does not believe a minority government is realistic. "I don't think it's very realistic for the Reform Party to govern alone while all the other parties sit in opposition and somehow support such a government," he said.

Thus, according to Kõlvart, the question of extraordinary elections may arise.

What happened in Tallinn?

ERR asked Kõlvart whether the Reform Party had, at any point over the past two months, proposed forming a coalition with the Center Party.

"There was no agreement with me and I had no desire or plan to join the city government before the elections. I've said that repeatedly. Did colleagues in the city council communicate with each other? Probably, yes. But I believe the plan we've seen over these past two months was more about trying to bargain for something from the coalition while simultaneously using the Center Party as a scare tactic. As we know, the Center Party did not go along with that plan. Our message was clear. We were willing to help ensure the city would function stably until the elections, but what we're seeing now is a decision to go with a minority government until then," Kõlvart said.

ERR repeated the question: Did the Reform Party make a formal proposal to the Center Party to form a coalition in Tallinn?

"No, there was no such proposal," Kõlvart responded.

At the end of June, the Reform Party's Tallinn region leader, Pärtel-Peeter Pere, sent a message to the party's internal mailing list, calling on Reform members to consider cooperation with the Center Party. In the letter, Pere warned fellow party members of the possibility that the Center Party and Isamaa might start working together in Tallinn and described cooperation with the Center Party as "inevitable."

"The shape that a potential coalition in Tallinn might take — one that would fulfill key Reform Party promises such as eliminating kindergarten fees — depends on the outcome of negotiations and, ultimately, the decision of city council members," Pere wrote.

The confusion culminated in Reform leaving the city government after a failed attempt to express no confidence in Social Democratic Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!