ERK chair Silver Kuusik met Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart in Tallinn on Thursday. He said he initiated the meeting, which focused mainly on the national political landscape.

"I don't want to go into detail," Kuusik said, adding that they talked about the overall political situation and how ideological lines played out in this October's local elections.

Kuusik said the two did not discuss an ERK–Center merger but noted that he wouldn't rule anything out. He emphasized that neither side has a mandate for such talks and said the meeting remained general.

Even so, he acknowledged that "interest has been shown," even if it wasn't part of Thursday's discussion.

Kuusik also said many ERK members are personally interested in the Center Party, though that interest doesn't extend to the party as a whole.

He noted that ERK is unlikely to clear the 5-percent Riigikogu election threshold in 2027 but might realistically reach 2 percent support, which would secure the party state funding. Nonetheless, he said the decision on how to proceed must be made by party members.

To that end, ERK plans to hold an internal referendum in the coming weeks. Party members will be asked whether ERK should run independently in 2027 or seek a path forward with another party — potentially the Center Party.

Kuusik described the process as necessary introspection and said members need the chance to state how they see "moving forward."

Kuusik: Our members must decide which path we take

Once the vote is complete, ERK expects to convene a general assembly early next year. Kuusik said the meeting would formalize whichever path members choose or renew the leadership's mandate if they opt to stay the course. The agenda, he added, will be built around members' priorities.

He said the party must weigh not only its internal activities but also how its worldview can be most effectively represented and protected. "What matters is that the people who contribute decide collectively which path we take," he said.

ERK's November rating stood at 0.9 percent, according to Kantar Emor.

The party failed to win council seats in any of the 19 local governments where it ran this October. In Tartu, ERK took 1.8 percent of the vote, including 410 votes earned by Kuusik himself, the party's top candidate in town. Although that result surpassed the tallies of even some government ministers, he said he would've preferred to earn at least one council seat.

ERK was formed last summer, largely by people who left or were kicked out of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) following internal disputes.

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