Representatives of all major parties took part in ETV's first "Valimisstuudio" debate: Signe Riisalo (Reform Party), Lauri Laats (Center Party), Siim Pohlak (EKRE), Lauri Läänemets (Social Democrats), Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa), Andres Kaarmann (Parempoolsed), Irja Lutsar (Eesti 200) and Evelyn Sepp (Greens).

In large part, participants voiced criticism of choices made by the government.

Reform Party's Signe Riisalo stressed the importance of prioritizing local issues and setting aside matters that municipalities cannot decide. She also dismissed the idea that the elections would serve as revenge against her party.

"I think every party, including Reform, is entering the competition with its best ideas and best people. The debates must put local issues first. There's no point in treating people as though they were naive and talking about issues that municipalities — or even the state — have no power to decide," Riisalo said.

Isamaa promises change for Estonia in this year's local elections, and according to Helir-Valdor Seeder, local life is closely tied to national matters.

"We know these are local elections, but what happens in the country — this general disorder — will inevitably shape people's attitudes. Local life is connected to national life. These are not separate things. In nearly every area, state and local governments are in cooperation, in symbiosis. So the mess at the national level will influence voters' moods," Seeder said.

The Social Democrats have repeatedly stressed that the local election campaign should not become just a populist brawl. According to Lauri Läänemets, people need to distinguish between campaign promises made only for show and those that are credible.

"I said it before the last elections as well — politicians must be honest with people. If the state budget is in deficit, defense spending is increasing by €1 billion and every party except the Social Democrats is saying the solution is simply to reduce state revenue, then people should understand that's populism. That's not possible — you can't cut revenue and then expect not to slash education and healthcare. Estonia has the highest inequality in Europe. All the numbers show this, and that is what we must address. It's both a national and a local issue," Läänemets said.

EKRE's Siim Pohlak put the blame for the country's problems directly on the Reform Party, agreeing with party leader Martin Helme that power must be taken from them.

"The short-sighted and foolish policies of the governing parties aren't limited to Tallinn, the national government or a few small municipalities. Reform Party's foolishness is universal. It starts at Stenbock House, spreads through downtown and into every municipality where they hold power. They make the same decisions at both levels — tax hikes, detached and unrealistic measures, pushing through wind farms — and local Reform politicians do the same in municipal councils. You can't separate the national and local levels, because party views and ideologies remain the same. That's why it's crucial to also expose those Reform politicians hiding in electoral alliances," Pohlak said.

Andres Kaarmann of the non-parliamentary Parempoolsed said he isn't worried that his relatively new party might follow the same path as Eesti 200 and lose popularity. Parempoolsed also see close links between national and local levels.

"Parempoolsed is very much an ideological party, and that's how we've built ourselves. People often ask what our slogan 'Fewer taxes, more freedom!' means. I believe a lighter tax burden should be central both at the local and national levels, before and after elections. It's true that we've been accused of being boring. Before the elections we said one thing and after the elections we said the same thing. We intend to continue that approach," Kaarmann said.

Center Party's Lauri Laats explained that his party's slogan "Out of the deadlock!" shows that national politics are also carried out at the local level, because the two are deeply connected.

"All the decisions made nationally directly affect municipalities — tax hikes and so on. When we say that getting out of the deadlock is the path the Center Party is taking, we mean that the current government is stuck. It has no support, and because of this paralysis, we see it flailing on many issues. One day the government suddenly finds €800 million in the budget, and as Eesti 200's representative said, suddenly there's a ton of money. The next day it turns out the budget is in deficit. That shows the government is in a deadlock and we will get the country out of it," Laats said.

Irja Lutsar of Eesti 200 noted that her party is running in only 10 municipalities this year, but the focus is on quality, not quantity.

"There's no point in putting forward one or two candidates who clearly won't achieve anything. We've thought carefully about where we're running and where we're not. Some of our people aren't on our party lists but are running in electoral alliances or on someone else's ticket. So in reality, we are represented in more municipalities," Lutsar explained.

Evelyn Sepp of the Greens, whose party has not yet run much of a campaign, said they trust in the people's choice and the fairness of elections.

"I believe in fair elections. Everyone starts from the same line and every vote is free. Voters have the freedom to change their previous choices, correct mistakes, and we're here to offer a clear alternative," Sepp said.

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