Tartu mayor: I can't imagine my party leader telling me what to do from Tallinn
Urmas Klaas, the Reform Party's candidate for mayor of Tartu, has responded to Isamaa Chair Urmas Reinalu's comments about the role. Klaas said he could not imagine Reform leader Kristen Michal trying to tell him how to do things in Tartu.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Isamaa and the Reform Party had agreed that the latter's candidate would retain the position of mayor in the soon-to-be-formed Tartu government coalition. Isamaa would, for its part be given the position of council chair. However, on Wednesday morning, Isamaa party chair Urmas Reinsalu said that decision ought to be reviewed.
Current Tartu Mayor Urmas Klaas (Reform) told ERR that the parties' regional branches should be free to make their own decisions.
"I cannot imagine that Kristen Michal, as party chair, would come to me and insistently tell me how I ought to lead the Tartu region or how to conduct negotiations," said Klaas.
"After all, we are the ones who ran for office here in Tartu, we are the ones who achieved this result here in Tartu, and so it is our responsibility and freedom to make the decisions here. I believe that we should negotiate with the people elected for Isamaa in Tartu and not with Urmas Reinsalu," Klaas added.
According to Klaas, the meeting was attended by Kaspar Kokk, Joel Luhamets and Priit Humal from Isamaa, along with Klaas, Toomas Kapp, and Martin Pekk from the Reform Party.
Klaas was unable to say why Isamaa's preferred mayoral candidate Tõnis Lukas was absent from Wednesday's talks.
He told ERR that the agenda focused on structure of the coalition talks and education issues were also partially discussed. According to Klaas, the two parties both want to have the new coalition agreement ready by November 10.
The parties will meet again on Thursday, when the topic of education will be on the agenda.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Michael Cole
