Center's candidate is party chairman and former mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart, while Isamaa has put forward Peeter Raudsepp, the current head of the Estonian Institute of Economic Research, who is not a member of any political party.

Raudsepp has led the Institute since 2023. Before that, he headed the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EAS) and led and advised international business enterprises. He graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in economics.

"Peeter Raudsepp will be a dignified mayor of Tallinn. It is essential that new people enter politics. I'm glad that Peeter Raudsepp is ready to take on the role of mayor," said Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu.

Raudsepp said that his decision to accept Isamaa's offer to become mayor was driven by a desire to use the capital's unique position to initiate change from Tallinn.

"We have to do everything we can to get the economy growing," he said, describing the capital as the engine of Estonia's economy. In order to achieve growth, bold action is needed – on a large scale and at a fast pace. "We cannot continue just hoping things in the economy will improve on their own," he added.

He also stressed that Tallinn should be a safe hometown for its residents.

Kõlvart served as chair of the Tallinn City Council from 2017 to 2019 and as mayor of Tallinn from 2019 to 2024.

"The negotiations to form a new governing coalition have been substantive, and the coalition agreement being signed is a thorough document that provides clear guidelines for how to lead the city of Tallinn over the next four years," he said. "Our goal is to restore professional city governance and ensure stability and a constructive working environment."

According to Kõlvart, the new city council will still face a busy period this year.

"Once the new city government is in office, we will need to begin actively working on the 2026 city budget. One of our priorities is to improve people's well-being amid economic stagnation and high inflation. We also want to offer solutions to address the demographic crisis," said the Center Party chair.

 Power share

The Center Party and Isamaa announced on November 4 that they had agreed to begin coalition negotiations in Tallinn.

During the first two years, the position of mayor will be held by Isamaa's candidate, and during the following two years by a candidate from the Center Party.

The coalition agreement will be signed on Monday at 11 a.m. at Tallinn Town Hall, and the new city council will hold its first session on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

At the election in October, Center won the most seats in Tallinn, but not enough to govern alone. The Isamaa-Center coalition replaces the four-party SDE-Isamaa-Eesti 200-Reform coalition.

This article was updated to add comments from Peeter Raudsepp.

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