Isamaa's Tartu branch made the news last week when it become known that the party's mayoral candidate and chair of the Tartu City Council would not be part of its city council group after refusing to share it with influencer Kris Kärner. The latter left Isamaa after controversial remarks he had made came to light ahead of the October 19 local election. He won a seat on the Isamaa list at that election, however, and has now been confirmed as a member of Isamaa's council group.

How did it happen that you were excluded from the Isamaa group on the Tartu City Council?

It's a reflection of the situation that has developed in Tartu where the personal attacks against me on social media have not stopped — and in my view, they are based on falsehoods and defamation. I cannot accept that. For me, Isamaa's mission is to unite the people, not divide them. To bring people together, not drive them apart. And I will continue to stand by that message.

The party and the group accepted Kris Kärner. Do you feel that the party has betrayed you in some way?

No, I don't feel that way. Joining a group is more or less an automatic process. I just see that, in the current situation, things are not balanced and one-sided personal attacks have no place in Estonian politics right now, especially when we need to focus on uniting the people, not dividing them.

Did it make you consider leaving the party?

No. I have very constructive and good relationships with both the members of the group and the party leadership. We're working in several areas to help Isamaa fulfill its potential both at the local government level and nationally.

I was one of those who helped draft the party's election platform as well as the coalition agreement. In my view, the coalition agreement turned out well and serves the interests of Tartu residents. I will continue to work in the interests of Tartu residents and support the coalition, so nothing changes in that regard.

For example, we have many people in the group who are just getting started. Some are well-known in their fields, others less so, but I definitely wish them all the best as they take on committee work and pursue their goals. I'd like to highlight Sandra Laur, for instance, who is very committed to substantive work. She focuses on meaningful issues and is now the chair of the education committee. She's preparing concrete initiatives, looking into what was done before her and finding ways to solve problems. So I see a lot of potential in the Isamaa group.

Have you spoken with the party leader [Urmas Reinsalu] about your conflict with Kris Kärner and has he supported you in this matter?

Without a doubt. The party leader mentioned me in his speech at the council and offered strong support, which I took as a clear sign of his backing.

But this isn't about a personal relationship or a dispute between two people. As I've said, it's about broader choices being made within Isamaa. In my view, Isamaa cannot be bitter. Its mission is to unite the people, not divide them. That's the spirit in which I've worked my entire life — for Estonia and for Tartu — and I will continue to do so.

Of course, in the background, there is a certain nervousness that seems quite symptomatic of Estonian society at the moment. People talk about difficult times and we're all aware of the economic and foreign policy challenges. But more broadly, there's been a growing sense of detachment — people feel unheard and the government has become increasingly insular. Isamaa's task is to reduce that sense of alienation.,

Some critics have said here and there that Isamaa is becoming more like EKRE or has already become so. Has Isamaa turned into EKRE?

No, Isamaa has absolutely not become like EKRE. Isamaa has a very clear platform of its own and enjoys strong public support precisely because of who we are, both in terms of our policy positions and the balanced way our politicians conduct themselves. I hope we can continue to carry that responsibility in the future as well.

In Tallinn, Isamaa managed, despite being the junior partner, to negotiate a deal where it holds the mayor's seat for the first half of the term. Was a similar option ever considered in Tartu?

No, that option was not on the table during the discussions.

But have you come to terms with it now and are you satisfied with the outcome in Tartu, both in terms of the coalition agreement and the division of positions? There was quite a bit of confusion at one point — one day it was said that one person would become mayor, the next day someone else.

As I mentioned, I had a significant role in drafting the coalition agreement. I was very actively involved in that process. As for the choices made by our partner and the decision to give up the mayor's seat, the initiative did not come from me. That analysis and those decisions were made by others — by people who are now actively working both in the group and in the city government. So yes, the initiative to shape the power structure the way it turned out did not come from me.

You mean Kaspar Kokk and the regional leadership?

Yes, and they've spoken publicly and explained their reasoning. Kaspar Kokk and Priit Humal had clearly thought through in advance how they believed power should be distributed in the most practical way.

What do you think of Isamaa's moves in Tallinn — was bringing in Peeter Raudsepp as mayor a good decision?

Considering his level-headedness and the public perception that has formed around the new city government, it's clearly been a positive development. So they have a strong starting position.

What are the most important issues for Tartu right now, what should be addressed first?

Drafting the budget is the main priority at the moment. Integrating the principles of the new coalition agreement into a budget that was already largely framed beforehand won't happen overnight, but we're working to include the agreements reached on education investments at least partially in the city budget.

We need to be a family-centered city. That means providing birth grants and kindergarten discounts for large families. In my view, these measures should already take effect next year. On the one hand, we need to proceed cautiously and carefully because with our first joint city budget, there's only so much that can be done. But without a doubt, Tartu will remain a city that is focused on families, the future and supporting larger families, especially through its strong foundation and reputation in education and culture.

One of the last decisions, or perhaps the very last one, that the previous Tartu city government made was to fund the Siuru cultural center. Does that mean construction will soon begin and the project will go ahead?

Yes, moving forward with Siuru is a shared agreement. However, the exact scale and final layout of the building will only be determined once the final cost is clear.

So, just before the construction tender and again after the tender has been carried out, key decisions will need to be made, depending on the available funding and whether the projected total cost matches expectations or differs from them. It's possible that difficult decisions will have to be made, including changes to the building's structure and spatial plan, in order to stay within the planned budget.

One issue that came up during the coalition talks in Tartu was the promise you conveyed to oppose the creation of a joint hospital in Tallinn by all legal means. You said that for Isamaa, it is critically important to ensure the development of Tartu University Hospital and to keep medical education exclusively in Tartu. Therefore, you argued against merging hospitals in Tallinn into a single institution. Do you still fully stand by that position or has there been any shift in that strong opposition?

Yes, I absolutely still stand by that position. This is not opposition to the city of Tallinn's decision to create a joint hospital from its own medical institutions — it's opposition to merging that joint Tallinn hospital with PERH. That would effectively create a monopoly in Estonia's healthcare system, which would be dangerous for regional balance and for the accessibility of healthcare services outside of Northern Estonia.

In this context, isn't one of Tartu's challenges simply the unavoidable fact that the population size isn't sufficient to support the level of clinical training required for medical education?

That's always a regional policy dilemma. If everything is allowed to flow only to where the money and people already are, then it becomes impossible to maintain a balanced society. That leads to growing monopolies and increasing centralization in one place, which would be dangerous for Estonia.

Of course, collaboration with other hospitals for medical education and residency training, particularly for organizing residencies and conducting research, is essential. Naturally, Tartu University Hospital cannot operate in isolation. Cooperation both within Estonia and internationally is very important. But the core of medical education must remain in Tartu because it is one of the pillars of the university's strength.

What is your vision for revitalizing life in Tartu over the next few years, particularly in terms of culture and tourism? We're talking about the airport's operations and possibly other projects that have been floated as ideas for Tartu. There was the issue of the large events hall, which was mainly pushed by Eesti 200 politicians, and now at the national level, a proposal led by Tanel Tein was approved regarding the reduction of remote gambling tax — a proposal Isamaa opposed in the Riigikogu. What opportunities do you see for boosting Tartu's cultural and tourism life in the near future?

As for the connection between the proposed large events hall and the gambling tax legislation, it's not necessarily a one-to-one relationship. There are different forecasts about gambling tax revenues — for example, the Ministry of Finance has said that lowering the tax will actually reduce revenue.

But if that funding materializes or if there's potential within society to build such a hall, possibly in cooperation with private investors, then we will absolutely advocate for it to be built in Tartu. Once again, the idea is to avoid everything concentrating in Tallinn. National and political decisions should aim to distribute economic, social, cultural and educational capacity more evenly across Estonia. We've agreed in the coalition agreement that if it comes down to choosing a location, we will prioritize Tartu.

One of Isamaa's own proposals is the establishment of a music festival named after Tartu. This would highlight the fact that we have excellent venues and high-quality performing groups. It's important internationally too — many cities have iconic festivals and Tartu currently does not. Perhaps it could even be combined with Tartuff and developed into a film and music festival with international recognition — something that would really put Tartu on the map in that kind of tourism segment.

So yes, we are absolutely in favor of opening up the city of Tartu, making it a more active destination and creating opportunities that attract people both from across Estonia and internationally.

Looking more broadly at national politics, do you believe the current governing coalition is in a strong enough position to last until the next Riigikogu elections [in 2027]? Last week, judging by what Mart Võrklaev (Reform) said in an interview with ERR, it seemed the coalition barely scraped through the vote on the remote gambling tax law. How many more such moments do you think might still lie ahead?

I don't know much about those behind-the-scenes combinations, but if you look at the public support for the parties currently forming the government, it's incredibly low — shamefully low for Estonia, in fact. So in the eyes of the people, this government can't really take credible steps before the next election anyway. In that case, Estonia's direction and development have essentially been put on hold and the honest thing to do would be to call snap elections.

As for the coalition parties individually, Eesti 200 likely doesn't have the momentum to enter elections on its own or at least not to succeed — hence their growing nervousness, the ultimatums and other such behavior within the government becoming more frequent and more intense. Meanwhile, the Reform Party has squandered its reputation as a driver of progress to such an extent that Estonia can no longer expect much from them right now.

But if the political opportunity or need arises before the next Riigikogu elections, with whom and under what conditions should Isamaa consider entering government?

I would leave that decision to the voters. What matters is that Estonia maintains a strong and optimistic image and politicians have a responsibility to form a government that reinforces that image.

Voters made their last decision two years ago. What we have now are the power dynamics that resulted from that election, as reflected in the mandates each party holds in the Riigikogu.

Yes, that's the situation at the moment. But again — the current coalition is clearly clinging tightly to its positions and seats. And if they continue to hold on this rigidly, then it's likely there won't be any change before the next elections.

Once more, I'm not focused on analyzing all the combinations — who will be the one to slam the door shut and what exactly will happen. My focus is rather on working toward a future government that is nationally conservative in a way that suits us, but not mean.

Do you have any thoughts on the upcoming presidential election? That time is actually approaching quite quickly. Any ideas about potential candidates?

No, I don't have any candidates in mind. I've joked before that the ideal president for Estonia would be someone named Mats Estonius. That's said in jest, of course, but such a figure does exist among Estonia's scholars and in the country's history of medical science.

But no, I wouldn't make any predictions at this point, because it's still too early. As for how people are thinking about it, the coalition parties have probably given it more thought — after all, not long ago the Reform Party, Eesti 200 and the Social Democrats together had almost enough support to elect the president on their own. I'm sure they discussed it back then. But as for me, I'm not going to start speculating.

In your opinion, could Alar Karis continue as president?

In my view, Karis has been quite visible in the areas I consider important.

So, you don't have anything against Karis running for a second term and being re-elected?

No, personally I have nothing against it. But again — we haven't discussed it in a way that would allow me to say Karis is Isamaa's candidate. Of course, I can't make that claim. It's still possible to observe the president's actions going forward and make decisions accordingly. That decision certainly hasn't been made yet. I simply value his role as a supporter of science, culture and education. But perhaps there is an even better candidate out there. What matters most is that Estonia continues to be represented by someone wise in the future.

How do you see your own political career moving forward? Do you plan to run in the next Riigikogu elections or even in the upcoming presidential election, for that matter?

No, I do not intend to run in the presidential election. There's really nothing personal or individual about that kind of candidacy until collective discussions begin. But I did take note of the support I received in the last election and that definitely encourages and in a way justifies my continued involvement in politics and in setting future goals.

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