Narva is in many ways unique in Estonia, arguably in Europe more broadly too. An industrial town of a little over 52,000 people, it lies right on the border with the Russian Federation, demarcated by the Narva River, though the 1920 Treaty of Tartu border lay on the other side of the river. Its politics down the years have often been marked by upheaval; the bulk of the population speaks Russian as its native language. Following a constitutional amendment in March, Russian citizens resident in the town will not be able to vote at next month's local elections, though EU citizens can. An exemption for this year's local election alone has also been granted to so-called gray passport holders, people who do not have citizenship of any country.

Political stability and governance

ETV's "Valimisstuudio" debate show on Tuesday evening began with a question about the political phenomenon in Narva: why are local politicians constantly at odds with one another? Incumbent mayor Katri Raik, a Social Democratic Party member but who is running her own list at the election, responded by saying too many city council members are directly dependent on a local government for their jobs. "And living conditions aren't that great: People are afraid of losing their jobs, they often can't conceive of living anywhere else besides Narva — sometimes due to their Estonian language skills. So they have to go along with the mainstream and to vote at the right moment," Raik said.

Urbo Vaarmann of the "Plan B" electoral list said none of the current city council deputies should be allowed to serve another term. "That would give us a chance to start from scratch with a clean slate. Plan B believes that's exactly what we need. Narva has exhausted itself over the past 30 years, and it's stagnating. That clearly has to change, and we need new politicians. There's no other option," he said. According to Jaan Toots (Center), the only person on the panel other than Raik to have been Narva mayor (2023-2024), a major issue is that heads of municipal agencies also sit on the city council. "That's a serious problem. But things won't go the way you want — by just wiping the slate clean," he added, speaking directly to Vaarmann.

In response to a question from the hosts about whether political instability is a problem for Narva, Messurme Pissareva (Reform) said this was: "Yes and no. On the one hand, people say no one from our list is there, but in truth, all politicians say a bit of this and that. It's about political culture or the decisions made by council members — two different things, but political culture still affects how people manage to work together." Artur Viks (EKRE) said that coalition conflicts can always be resolved, meaning a coalition doesn't have to fall apart every time. "Politics is the art of negotiation. You need to find the right people who get elected and set common goals."

Raik offered as a potential solution a coalition which sets four-year goals and works toward them together, collaborating with all. Pissareva agreed that theoretically it is possible to bring stability to Narva. "Much depends on how well we manage to cooperate," she added. Vaarmann noted too that coalitions can work well together, but that the problem lies in dividing up positions and financial resources. "Plus the intimidation of people. Many are afraid of losing their jobs, and that needs to stop — clearly and decisively."

Business and industrial development

The candidates also addressed Narva's economic potential and its clear need for industrial development, in order to grow and thrive. On business development, Viks said Narva needs more of that, citing the recently opened magnet factory as a positive example. Raik pointed to the high electricity prices as a major issue for businesses. "We hope for new energy production solutions and capacity. We hope the magnet factory grows to employ up to a thousand people. Narva has been, is, and will remain Estonia's industrial capital. There's clear potential to develop industry here. But from the investor's point of view, Narva's location is a concern," she said.

Vaarmann stressed that in times of crisis, the city government and council must act quickly — an ability Narva lacks right now, he said. "You can't just sit back and drag things out; you need fast solutions. The same people have held power in the council for 30 years, and that's holding back development," Vaarmann went on. Toots added that Narva has another major factory — a filter plant, which exports to both the UAE and Europe-wide. But more broadly, attracting staff to the town is a problem. "Narva's major issue is a lack of specialists. These large factories get up and running, and workers are brought in from elsewhere. They have nowhere to live, so housing needs to be improved. There are many problems, yet Narva will remain an industrial town."

Talent, language and youth retention

Closely tied to economic development is a shortage of skilled labor and the outflow of young people. Pissareva agreed that the shortage of specialists has been a major issue, but added it can be solved. "Narva is developing. However, we need to support small businesses. In fact, there are many educated and experienced people in Narva whose skills can be developed," she continued. Viks stressed that earning the national average wage is closely tied to knowing the state language, ie. Estonian, which opens up many more opportunities.

Toots pointed out that young people often leave Narva after finishing school to work elsewhere. "What are Narva's core issues?" Vaarmann inquired. "Language, passports, wages, and young people leaving. One solution is small business development. Narva could become a beautiful tourism hub — blending Russian-speaking, Estonian-speaking, and European tourism. Narva is in a location like none other in Europe. The main obstacle has been the city's failure to address issues like building renovation and heating costs," he said.

According to Pissareva, Narva does have opportunities to offer young people, but these need to be better organized. Viks said Narva could become an Estonian-speaking city which supports entrepreneurship and retains its residents. "Where there are jobs and opportunities to grow," he said. Vaarmann said the city must treat everyone the same, regardless of their native language or what passport they hold. "We have to create an environment people want to live in. If someone pays €100 more for heating than they do in a neighboring town, then we have a problem," he said.

Raik said her dream is for Narva to be Estonia's industrial capital. "It already is in essence, but it just needs a spark — then housing will develop, too. And for the young people, it shouldn't be a springboard, but rather a destination. Many people in Narva do speak Estonian. The future and vision for Narva is as a bilingual city. It will never be an entirely Estonian-speaking city. If things go well, it will become a city where Estonian, Russian, and English are spoken," she outlined. Pissareva described Narva as a dynamic city — one where it can already be good to study, work, raise children, and grow old with dignity; a city with quality education, jobs, and social support.

Viks noted that small businesses can't survive if utility costs are too high. While Pissareva said small business owners need support with access to office space

Border security and geopolitical tensions

The panelists also discussed Narva's sensitive geopolitical position. They addressed the idea of a full border closure, such as that in place on Finland's border with the Russian Federation. Only Viks supported doing this in Narva, stating that a border with an aggressor state must be sealed.

The panel agreed that Narva residents in any case have taken on board the planned construction of a military base nearby and are generally not opposed to that going ahead. On the flip-side, with pro-Kremlin sentiment in Narva, Raik said this is very difficult to accurately gauge. Vaarmann argued the real issue lies with the national government's attitude toward the people of Narva. Viks claimed that people in Narva tend to be pro-Kremlin, but tend to hide this. Toots said it is hard to say what public sentiment really is, though noted people were hardly voting with their feet in favor of Russia and against Estonia. "There's a percentage [of pro-Kremlin residents], but it's not very large. Maybe 15 percent think it's better on the other side. Yet no one is moving there," he said. Pissareva called the idea of widespread Kremlin sympathy in Narva a "cliché."

Coalition prospects and political red lines

Finally, the candidates addressed potential coalition partners after the election. The two openly pro-Kremlin choices on the ballot sheet on October 19 are the KOOS/Vmeste party, and the list of Mihhail Stalnuhhin, expelled from the Center Party in 2022 over comments he made about the national government removing Soviet-era monuments and other relics.

Both organizations declined to take part in the "Valimisstuudio" broadcast. Viks said his party, EKRE, has ruled out cooperation in Narva with both of these; Toots noted that the Center Party has also ruled out cooperation with KOOS. Raik and Pissareva did not explicitly state who they would or wouldn't form a coalition with. Vaarmann said he wouldn't rule out cooperation with anyone, though doubted he'd work with KOOS.

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