The coalition crisis in Tallinn this summer amounts to some unbelievable nonsense, Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said. The saga damaged both the credibility of politics as a whole and the Reform Party, which instigated the crisis, Ossinovski added.
What will city governance now look like with a tripartite minority government?
As for decisions at the city council, it is clear that the minority government no longer has a majority in the council, which means that all decisions we make will require the support of other [opposition] factions. The Reform Party faction has promised to be a constructive opposition party. I assume that on those decisions we have prepared together, it will be possible to reach an agreement with them. The items where no agreement exists will simply not be adopted.
It must be acknowledged that in the time left until the elections, there are quite few decisions which necessarily need to be taken at city council level, since most of them were passed at the June council meeting and this Monday.
However, most of the city’s management work takes place at the city government level, where the three parties continue to bear that responsibility. We can definitely ensure stable city governance in this setup until the elections.
How many such draft bills are there and which ones specifically could you name that would require the Reform Party’s support at the city council?
There are several bills under process at the city council that have been prepared by the city government, including some planning decisions and a few others. More importantly, the city budget strategy and the second supplementary budget, which have passed the first reading.
The second reading for these is expected in August, and we are in contact with colleagues from the Reform Party, assuming they are ready to support the decisions that were jointly submitted to the council.
Is there currently any certainty that they are prepared to give their support?
This situation is new. We are a minority government, and Reform decided just last night to move into opposition. As of yet, we have not held those negotiations, so time will tell.
What personnel decisions are now ahead in the city government due to the Reform Party’s departure?
Both district elders belonging to the Reform Party have submitted their resignations, and the city government will approve that shortly. We will first off appoint administrative secretaries of the districts as acting governors. As for city government members, Mr. Pere is no longer a deputy mayor, and presumably Mr. Jaamu (deputy mayor for municipal property Viljar Jaamu – ed.) will also submit his resignation soon. At this point, our understanding is that we will not appoint new deputy mayors to those positions, and the responsibilities of the two deputy mayors will be redistributed among the existing city government members.
What will happen if the draft to abolish kindergarten fees comes to a vote in the council again? As I understand it, it is still under process. If it goes to a vote, how will SDE’s faction vote?
The city government is certainly not planning any new initiatives in this area. The draft submitted by the city government failed at the council on Monday. If opposition parties decide to put it back on the agenda, then the council factions will decide, but the Social Democrats’ position on this issue has not changed — we support it. But the city government will not form a unified position on this.
So it is actually feasible that the abolition of kindergarten fees could still go through in August and take effect from September 1, as originally planned?
Just as on Monday the key to that decision was, on the one hand, in the hands of Eesti 200, who decided differently, and on the other hand, in the hands of the Center Party, then now in the new situation, where the Center Party and the Reform Party form a majority in the council, they can adopt that decision together. Whether they wish to do so or not is already up to the opposition.
The atmosphere in the current city government coalition is not exactly the best. There is no trust with Eesti 200, and quite sharp accusations were made from both sides on Tuesday. How do you see it being possible to move forward constructively in such an atmosphere?
I believe all three parties understand the responsibility of ensuring stable city governance until the elections, to put an end to the interim period of political intrigue and get back to real work. So I do believe there will be no obstacles.
In your opinion, is the Reform Party now in a more favorable position in the context of the local election campaign, since they are in opposition?
That is not really for me to assess. It was their intentional choice to break up the functioning coalition that existed since the end of May. In the meantime, we made a serious and sincere attempt to continue with that coalition. That attempt failed this week. So from the end of May, when the Reform Party was part of a functioning coalition, they have now found themselves in opposition — whether that strengthens their position going into the elections or not, I’m sure they have a plan for that, but it’s not really my concern to worry about Reform’s election result.
You’re saying it was their deliberate and intentional goal from the outset, through this massive drama, ultimately to end up in opposition?
No, I’m convinced their actual plan was to form a coalition with the Center Party. That coalition was essentially agreed upon — messages were sent, decisions made, even a new mayor was picked. But that plan fell through. And the rest has likely been, in their view, a damage control program. Whether it will yield results or not, the elections will show.
Are the Social Democrats now under more pressure due to bearing more responsibility in a minority city government?
I’d put it this way: My goal throughout this process has been to find and reach the necessary compromises to end the political games and ensure the city is properly governed. It wasn’t possible to do that with cooperation among four parties; now we are trying to do it with three. Of course, the problems and shortcomings that have emerged need to be resolved, and of course we need to ensure the city is well governed.
Looking ahead to the election campaign, is it likely in your view that your main opponents will be the duo of Center Party and Reform, who you see as a potential future coalition?
It’s hard for me to comment on the Reform Party’s strategy, as it has changed quite rapidly over time. At one point it was clear their plan was to form a coalition with the Center Party. They got burned doing that, and now they’re sending contradictory signals and trying to distance themselves from the Center Party. But from our perspective, the fundamental issue really is whether, after the local elections, the city moves forward or backward. And we stand for the city moving forward as an effective, honest city government.
If you were to sum up this drama in several acts, which began one June day with the Center Party and Reform Party issuing press releases about the abolition of kindergarten fees, what would your assessment or conclusion be?
It’s all been some unbelievable nonsense. I think it was unnecessary. It wasn’t necessary for the people of Tallinn, and, honestly, it wasn’t necessary for the Reform Party either. Naturally, it has caused significant damage to the overall credibility of politics. Plus of course it hasn’t been a pleasant time for me personally either. But in a way it’s a good thing that this clarity has now come. I didn’t think and still don’t think the Reform Party’s decision to walk away from responsibility into opposition was a wise one, but the choice is theirs. At least now we have clarity, so I hope these political intrigues are over.
