Tallinn city company breaks own rule by allowing Eesti 200 campaign on tram
On Monday morning, the board of Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS (TLT) discussed how an Eesti 200 press event took place on a tram, which violates company policy.
"In no case are political events to be held on TLT premises, at terminal stops or aboard vehicles." This agreement was made by the board of the capital's public transport company Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS in May of this year, five months before the local council elections, Delfi reports.
Three months later, on August 31, a press event was held by the Eesti 200 party at the Linnahall tram stop in Tallinn, where the party introduced its mayoral candidate and election platform ahead of the October municipal elections.
At 1 p.m., a tram departed with event participants aboard for a one-hour ride through the capital. Hanging from the handrails inside the tram were Eesti 200's campaign placards and a large poster featuring the party's logo was prominently displayed, visible even through the rear window.
TLT board chair Kaido Padar said he first learned about the event through media coverage on Sunday. The board convened Monday morning, where they acknowledged the incident as a lapse.
"In truth, we violated our own rules — the ones we ourselves had put in place," Padar admitted, adding that Eesti 200's application had mistakenly been approved.
According to Daniel Kõiv, a member of Eesti 200's board, the party was unaware of TLT's agreement to prohibit election-related advertising.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
