Parempoolsed fine with staying in opposition in Tallinn
Parempoolsed member Ilmar Raag says the party is willing to stay in opposition in Tallinn after Sunday's local elections and won't join a coalition just for show.
"Power in itself is not a goal," Raag said on ETV's "Terevisioon" Friday morning. He added that the party would only join a coalition in the capital if they could play a real role or push policies aligned with their values.
He noted the odds of that are slim. "We see that we don't actually have much common ground with the Social Democrats (SDE), even if they're all very nice people," he said.
Raag emphasized that Parempoolsed remaining in the opposition will still allow the party to influence Tallinn City Council decisions. "Even just being in the city council chamber, our voice still carries weight in certain decisions," he said.
He also said a four-party coalition in Tallinn likely wouldn't last long.
On strategy ahead of the next Riigikogu elections in 2027, Raag said Parempoolsed plans to make its positions heard loudly on individual issues and pressure the City Council where possible.
"And if there's a chance these ideas could be realized in the city government, then why not," he added.
He said the party will eventually present its 15-point platform directly to other parties, "but we'll do it face to face first, so both sides can talk things through without pressure first."
Raag suggested a Center Party–Isamaa coalition could work if both parties balanced and met each other halfway.
Tallinn City Council has 79 seats. In Sunday's local elections, Parempoolsed earned six mandates.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Liisbeth Rats, Aili Vahtla
