The coalition talks bring together the election-winning Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), the Center Party, Parempoolsed and the electoral alliances Südamega Pärnu ("With Heart for Pärnu") and Pärnu Ühendab ("Pärnu Unites").

Center's Andrei Korobeinik said the five partners see plenty of overlap in their priorities.

Pärnu faces serious challenges over the next four years, he said, from kindergarten meals and parking rules to land tax issues. "But Pärnu needs a bigger goal," he continued, adding that he believes this coalition mix will make achieving those goals possible.

Kristel Voltenberg, head of Südamega Pärnu, said she wants city governance to focus more on residents and businesses. Citizens and entrepreneurs shouldn't have to wait 30 days for answers from City Hall, she said, and Pärnu City Council should pay more attention to concerns raised through petitions.

Pärnu Ühendab lead candidate Meelis Kukk is convinced cooperation among the political groups at the table is possible, will be constructive and will hold strong for the next four years. A broader base, he added, makes the coalition "stronger and more viable."

Their shared goal, he said, is to implement their campaign promises, "which are largely focused on improving the lives of Pärnu residents.

Broader representation

Parempoolsed representative Kari Maripuu said that when five parties set aside their biggest disagreements, what remains is genuine common ground.

He added that when they all know success depends on each of their votes, "we each work that much harder to make it happen — because if we don't, the coalition won't hold."

Maripuu noted that Parempoolsed's focus is supporting entrepreneurship, and that its platform doesn't sharply conflict with the others'.

EKRE representative and mayoral candidate Valmar Veste likewise confirmed he sees more overlap among the parties than expected. He believes the coalition's five forces together represent Pärnu's diversity better than a small group could.

"And a city, after all, is made up of different people," he said. "If we can implement ideas from various communities, then what's the problem?"

Veste said he wants to improve kids' access to extracurriculars. Asked about EKRE's opposition to Rail Baltica, which is set to run through the Western Estonian coastal city, Veste said the city itself isn't building the railway.

"A rail link with Tallinn is important, crucial and must absolutely be completed," he said, adding that EKRE fully supports all the city infrastructure projects connected to it.

Korobeinik: EKRE won the election

ERR Pärnu correspondent Kristi Raidla asked Korobeinik why EKRE's Valmar Veste, who received 311 votes, was tapped for mayor instead of Korobeinik himself or Voltenberg, who each earned several times more.

Korobeinik said EKRE won the local election and that former minister Mart Helme, who topped the individual vote, turned down the mayor's seat.

"What matters is that the mayor can handle the job," he said, adding that he personally trusts Veste.

The local Center Party leader denied that the coalition's goal is to keep Reform and Isamaa out of power, saying instead it aims to deliver on Isamaa's own campaign promise that Pärnu needs change.

"Unfortunately, we've seen that Isamaa isn't able to make good on that campaign promise itself," Korobeinik said. "We came to help the election winner."

He added that the new coalition plans to cut one deputy mayor post in town.

Who is Valmar Veste?

Pärnu's likely new mayor, 46-year-old Valmar Veste, is a city native and father who entered local politics in 2021 and currently serves on several city council committees, daily Delfi reports (link in Estonian).

Critics, including former EKRE Pärnu chapter leader Helle Kullerkupp — now a board member of the breakaway Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK) — have questioned his experience, education, income and transparency, calling the mayoral role "a huge responsibility."

Veste confirmed on social media that he earned his high school diploma through an adult education program and is now a second-year student at Tallinn University (TLÜ).

He owns two companies, Clean4You OÜ and Kalakaubamaja OÜ, both of which failed to submit last year's annual reports; Kalakaubamaja also has an outstanding tax debt.

Veste previously owned Nordic Company OÜ, which was liquidated after failing to submit reports for two years; the company sold Thor Steinar clothing, linked in Germany to neo-Nazi symbolism but which Veste says he saw simply as a "Nordic mythology" brand.

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