Tallinn power talks should proceed with Center if Isamaa stalls, says SDE MP
Nearly a week after local elections, MP Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE) said Tallinn parties should move forward and, if needed, tap Center for a coalition without Isamaa.
"If Isamaa drags its feet, we need to move forward without them," Kaljulaid wrote on social media Friday, adding that Isamaa should be sent back the "questionnaire" it issued to other parties unanswered.
The questionnaire, sent Thursday to all parties elected to Tallinn City Council in Sunday's elections, asked 15 "key" questions. Kaljulaid criticized the move as flippant. "This is not a serious approach to running Estonia's largest city," he said.
"Politely thank Isamaa for their questions," the MP advised, "but refuse the proposal to run talks in this format."
He noted that if Isamaa wants to join city governance, it has the chance to do so — including proposals from two parties to start talks. But if the party chooses not to respond, that decision must be respected.
"If Isamaa doesn't want to start discussions in the capital, the other parties have no choice but to drop all dealbreakers and lines in the sand drawn before the elections" to achieve a majority in the 76-seat Tallinn City Council without them, he said.
Kaljulaid stressed the city cannot be left without leadership. He said Isamaa should respond within a reasonable timeframe, and if it doesn't, the city must move forward without them.
"If Isamaa keeps playing games, new talks between new parties should start by Monday at the latest," he added.
On Thursday evening, Isamaa said it had not yet decided with whom to start coalition talks.
On Friday, the Social Democrats, Reform Party and Parempoolsed said they would not answer Isamaa's 15-point questionnaire about the future of Tallinn, instead inviting the party to direct coalition negotiations.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla
