Isamaa prepared to give Tartu mayor role to Reform Party
Isamaa's Tartu mayoral candidate Tõnis Lukas, told ERR that his party is prepared to give up the mayor's seat if Reform agrees to Isamaa's conditions.
On Thursday, representatives of Isamaa and the Reform Party met once again in Tartu for coalition talks. When it came to the topics on the agenda, which centered on education issues, the parties both saw eye-to-eye.
Which party will get the mayor's seat in Tartu was not discussed on Thursday. However, according to Tõnis Lukas, Isamaa are still willing to cede it to the Reform Party if they agree to the conditions set by his party.
"Urmas Klaas (Reform)will have a chance to remain mayor if we can reach an agreement on the more critical points, which will certainly come up in the negotiations," said Lukas.
"Issues where the Reform Party can influence national policy are also fundamentally important to us. One of these issues is the transfer of foreign prisoners to Tartu Prison. We are skeptical about that. We hope that such a populist policy will not be adopted and that the agreement will not be ratified by the Riigikogu in November. Secondly, the establishment of a large hospital in Tallinn cannot be allowed to cause the Tartu University Hospital to suffer," said Lukas.
The Reform Party's mayoral candidate Urmas Klaas, also confirmed that Isamaa has given the official go ahead for him to continue as Tartu mayor.
"We are proceeding on the basis that the Reform Party made a proposal to our colleagues in Isamaa. Isamaa accepted this proposal and told us they agree with it. This is our current position. Isamaa has officially confirmed this in response to our question. If they change their position, then of course we will be in a new situation," Klaas said.
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Editor: Michael Cole
