Urmas Reinsalu, chair of the opposition Isamaa party, has rejected Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets's argument that a snap election would plunge Estonia into chaos, accusing the Social Democrats of shirking responsibility.

Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart and EKRE chair Martin Helme also called on the Social Democrats to clarify whether they would support a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Kristen Michal's government.

"Social Democrats, don't shirk your responsibility," Reinsalu wrote on social media.

Reinsalu said Läänemets had acknowledged that Michal's government had lost its legitimacy and failed, while identifying several areas where the government had contributed to growing uncertainty.

"That is an understandable diagnosis. What is completely incomprehensible, however, is Läänemets's view that this confusion should continue on the grounds that removing Michal's government would create chaos," Reinsalu said.

According to Reinsalu, any chaos resulting from the government's removal would be confined to the parties currently in power rather than the country as a whole. He said people would instead see the government's removal as "the first steps toward ending the chaos."

Reinsalu reiterated his call for a snap election, arguing that Läänemets was wrong to make the Social Democrats' support for a no-confidence vote conditional on Reinsalu demonstrating both that there were enough votes to bring down the government and that an alternative governing coalition could be formed.

"There is an alternative. A new election would allow citizens to pass judgment on the Reform Party's failed policies," Reinsalu said.

He argued that a new government should emerge from an election rather than be based on the current parliamentary majority.

"A snap election is not chaos, but feedback from citizens and guidance on how to move forward," Reinsalu said, noting that early elections have been held in a number of European countries during periods of political deadlock.

He also rejected Läänemets's concern that a government that had resigned would be unable to take on major financial commitments on behalf of the state, saying a similar situation arises following a regular election.

Reinsalu accused the Social Democrats of looking for excuses not to vote no confidence in Michal's government and said their position made them politically responsible for the government's agenda.

"Being in opposition also carries responsibility. You cannot run away from it. A few individual deals cannot outweigh the significance of fundamental choices," he said.

Center: We expect SDE to adopt a clear position

Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart also questioned Läänemets's position, saying that while the SDE leader appeared to have revised his stance on a no-confidence vote, the substance of his message remained unclear.

Kõlvart pointed to the two conditions set out by Läänemets: that Reinsalu first demonstrate that there are enough votes to pass a no-confidence motion and then present an alternative government.

"A no-confidence vote is a matter of principle — does the party have confidence in Michal's government or not? That principle should not depend on arithmetic," Kõlvart said. "The outcome of a no-confidence vote may depend on arithmetic, but someone's position should not."

Kõlvart also questioned why the Social Democrats' support should depend on Reinsalu presenting an alternative government.

"Would it not be more appropriate to give voters the opportunity to decide who should sit in the next Riigikogu and how a government should be formed?" he said.

According to Kõlvart, forming a viable new government in the current Riigikogu is no longer realistic because one-fifth of MPs have left the parliamentary groups to which they previously belonged. He said a snap election was therefore needed to break the political deadlock.

Kõlvart said he expects the Social Democrats to make clear on Wednesday whether they support a no-confidence vote in the government.

EKRE: A transitional government is one option

EKRE chair Martin Helme, meanwhile, told ERR that if there is not enough support for a snap election, the parties could consider forming a broad-based caretaker government to lead the country until elections are held.

"It would be broad-based and would not make any major decisions, but would simply lead the country to elections," Helme said. He accused the current government of abusing its control over public funds and making long-term decisions that, in his view, it should not be making.

Commenting on the Social Democrats' position, Helme said Läänemets had come under intense pressure over keeping Michal's government in power and had now put the ball back in Reinsalu's court.

Helme said Läänemets was also concerned about unaffiliated MPs who do not form a unified or disciplined bloc. While the government is in the minority, Helme noted that the opposition is fragmented and would need the support of unaffiliated MPs to bring down the government.

"Essentially, Läänemets told us that they also need to be brought on board and we all agree on that," Helme said.

Helme said progress had nevertheless been made toward finding a way forward.

"I think we have taken a very good step forward toward the Social Democrats also understanding that Michal's government cannot be kept in power any longer," he said. "Now we need to find a way to determine what the situation after Michal's government will look like."

Helme said EKRE was prepared to contribute constructively to those discussions, although the party would rule out serving in a government with the ruling Reform Party or Eesti 200.

"I have told both Reinsalu and Läänemets that we are prepared to negotiate over who the prime minister would be and what the government would look like — what policies it would seek to implement during those few months or what policies it would seek to halt," Helme said.

"We will not be the ones holding things up. Naturally, we expect some of our positions to be taken into account as well, but we will not be the ones holding things up," he added.

Social Democratic Party chair Lauri Läänemets said Tuesday, following a party board meeting that lasted several hours, that the party would consider joining a no-confidence vote against the government if Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu proposed a new, viable governing coalition and demonstrated that there were enough votes to pass the motion.

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