City Council chair Mihhail Stalnuhhin repeatedly paused proceedings, calling a one-hour recess, a 59-minute recess and a regular 15-minute break in succession as opposition Center Party members pushed to remove most of the 25 items on the meeting agenda.

A planned land swap needed for the construction of a new military base in town was one of just three agenda items the Center group would have left on the agenda.

The dispute escalated into a procedural standoff, with opposition councilmembers demanding an immediate vote on their majority-backed proposal without explanation.

After a third hour-long recess and a 15-minute break, Stalnuhhin declined to put the Center proposal to a vote, saying he had the legal authority as council chair to decide what reaches a vote and opting instead to proceed through the original 25 agenda items one by one.

Center Party councilmembers protested by standing during the meeting, with one member shouting and banging on a desk while accusing Stalnuhhin of stalling and turning the meeting into a "personal performance."

Stalnuhhin defended his conduct, saying he was strictly following the law and procedures and noting that he received the most votes in the last local election.

No-confidence motions submitted

The Center Party group eventually withdrew its agenda proposal, after which Stalnuhhin called another one-hour recess and 15 minute break before the full agenda was approved — about five hours into the meeting.

After approval, Center councilmember Jaan Toots submitted a no-confidence motion against Stalnuhhin, while Plan B councilmember Urbo Vaarmann filed motions against Mayor Katri Raik and deputy council chair Jana Kondrašova on behalf of both opposition groups.

All three motions will go to a vote at the next council meeting.

Vaarmann said more councilmembers could still join the effort, potentially tipping the narrow 16–15 balance toward a more decisive no-confidence vote.

Raik acknowledged she also expects one side in the council to gain a clearer majority than the current one-seat margin.

"Maybe things will stabilize then," she added. "I hope they do."

Stalnuhhin, however, said he expects some opposition-aligned councilmembers to reconsider their position.

"They should at least be independent and make those decisions themselves," he said, adding that if they do so, the situation would change.

Military base land swap approved

Despite the standoff, the city council approved a planned land swap with the Estonian state for a planned military base in Narva, along with a request for an additional €378,000 to compensate for the difference in property values.

Two pay proposals for council leadership, meanwhile, were voted down by the opposition, while repeated recesses between the remaining agenda items stretched Friday's city council meeting to nearly 12 hours.

Narva's 31-member city council remains tightly split, and the struggle for control of the border city continues as procedural disputes have delayed any official leadership changes.

The Center Party and the Plan B–Narva City Pulse electoral alliance now hold a narrow 16-seat majority over the governing coalition led by Katri Raik's Respect alliance and Mihhail Stalnuhhin's Narva 2.0 alliance.

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