The airwaves are thick with poll results and speculation about who will seize power and what the lines of force will look like after October 19, when Estonia holds its local municipal council elections.

In Southeast Estonia, a reshuffling of the deck is expected in several municipalities. Instead of electoral victories for the Reform Party and the Social Democrats, forecasts suggest that Isamaa and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) will come out on top.

From the perspective of rural municipalities, however, it's not the winning party that matters most, but the specific individuals who will end up leading local life. Considering how consistently Southeast Estonia has been on a steep downward trajectory, there's a clear and pressing need for emotionally intelligent and capable leaders — people who can view the world more broadly than through the narrow lens of their political position or ideology. In other words, we need councils composed of members who are genuinely engaged with the challenges ahead and are willing to compromise for the good of local residents, regardless of their political worldview.

The last four years in Southeast Estonia have been defined by two words: cost-cutting and reform. Libraries, cultural centers and schools were either closed or consolidated under centralized management. This was an inevitable response to the region's demographic situation, and even the most progressive municipalities had no choice but to react. The state also responded by effectively emptying out its agencies in the town of Põlva within just a couple of years. Banks and mobile service provider branches followed suit and closed their doors.

Over the past four years, the combined population of the three counties in Southeast Estonia — Võru, Põlva and Valga — has declined by an average of 900 people per year. The natural birth rate is negative and out-migration is relentless. This is a reality that has been met, election after election, with desperate searches for miracle cures — like the valiant heroes in fairy tales trying to save the life of a dying princess. In fairy tales, of course, the magic potion is usually found. But we are dealing with real life here.

Perhaps that's exactly where we should start: there's no point in telling fairy tales to voters. Whether it's about lowering the tax burden or any other matter decided at the national level, such issues simply don't fall within the jurisdiction of local governments. Unfortunately, local elections rarely prompt the effort to create proper campaign platforms. Sure, we can find the nationwide positions and principles of some of the major parties, but when it comes to the concrete visions that different electoral alliances and parties have for developing a specific rural municipality over the next four years, that information is simply not to be found.

Still, it's possible to divide rural municipalities into two broad camps in this election.

The first group consists of municipalities where candidates can promise anything they like, but the reality is that the local budget barely covers the absolute essentials. That means keeping schools open, maintaining roads, supporting culture and sports, ensuring social services, providing utilities and maintaining infrastructure. Let's not forget county-wide public transportation, public health, safety, as well as planning and construction activities.

The second group consists of municipalities with slightly more capacity, allowing candidates to entice voters with promises like new hiking trails or shopping centers — projects that don't actually fall within the purview of local government. Unfortunately, in both camps the focus has shifted to opposition and rivalry: instead of offering visions, candidates are attacking competitors and trying to elevate themselves.

Voters, meanwhile, are looking for stability. They want their municipal councils to work together to move local life forward — not waste their energy on infighting and sabotaging each other's efforts. They want councils to focus on substance.

To conclude, here are a few thoughts on where that energy could be better spent.

Tõrva's residential land campaign was a powerful example. The survival of a local municipality depends on working-age residents, and residential land is a concrete offering that brought new people into the area.

Eneli Kindsiko, an expert at the Foresight Center, pointed out in an interview with Vikerraadio that a growing educational divide is becoming increasingly apparent in Estonia's general education system. She stressed the need to incentivize math teachers with higher salaries. That could be a core issue for a municipal council — not just whether the municipality can provide education, but what kind of education it offers.

It has now been eight years since the administrative reform. What has become clear is that municipalities don't need to be personal or individualistic; their main task is to ensure basic services. If a municipality can't manage that on its own, it should consider merging with another, rather than fixating on preserving local identity. That identity will fade anyway if people leave because services are unavailable or significantly worse than in a neighboring municipality.

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