With 12 municipalities still to be counted, the prime minister's party is expected to get around 10 percent of the votes from the local elections. Junior coalition partner Eesti 200 will pick up less than 2 percent of the votes.

"I think there is definitely an anti-government element in these elections, it would be strange to say there is not. I think there are several reasons. First, the various uncertainties in decision-making, a lot of decisions have been reversed, especially regarding taxes. There has been confusion in politics more broadly. I believe that element is certainly there," Michal told ETV's election broadcast.

The prime minister admitted that he also feels responsible for the confusion.

"Definitely. As the chair of the Reform Party, I'm certainly responsible for the party's various actions, there is no question about that. But I would still say that no one expects us now to immediately create a new mess, to start undoing everything. I think the latest decisions we have made — cutting taxes, increasing defense spending — are the right ones," he said.

Reform's mayoral candidate was "capable"

Michal said choosing former justice minister Maris Lauri as Tallinn's mayoral candidate was the right decision and called her "very capable."

"I like Maris, and I believe we chose the best possible mayoral candidate. Of course, if someone wants to, they can try the job themselves. Fortunately, elections are like public transport: they come around regularly. That means in the next elections — be it parliamentary or local — everyone will have the chance to see how much support they get among the people," he told the show.

The chairman said he did not like the criticism directed at Lauri during the debates in the run-up to the election, that she was not aggressive enough. "Smart and analytical people do not need to rant; they can express themselves calmly, just give them the floor," Michal said.

Commenting on the future of Tallinn City Council and potential coalition, he said not appear keen to see the Center Party back in power.

"In my view, the most important question is whether we'll see a renaissance of Kremlin-friendly messages in Tallinn, messages saying Estonian-language education is not okay, that Russian and Belarusian voters are especially welcome, and so on. Or will we manage to form a city government that includes the Social Democrats, Isamaa, the Reform Party, and Parempoolsed. Well, guess which side I'm rooting for," Michal said.

Does the coalition have a future?

Host Joosep Värk asked whether Michal would be able to carry this coalition through to the next parliamentary elections.

"If not, then I am sure the media will be the first to know, there is no doubt. We are doing everything we can to make that happen. And let's be honest: in the case of Eesti 200, people have been casting spells on their poor results for a long time, saying they are going to fall apart. They are not falling apart, they are doing their work with dedication," Michal replied.

Michal again ruled out cooperation with the Center Party, both in Tallinn and at the national level.

"How can we go down the same road with them, when we have such fundamentally different views on security? We are saying we should increase support for Ukraine, if we can. They are saying we should do something else instead. On Estonian-language education, we are on different pages; on changing the Constitution, too. On all major national security issues, we are in disagreement. I do not see a shared path," Michal said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!