According to political experts, Isamaa and Center Party have begun preparing for parliamentary elections, using the apolitical mayor role to their advantage.<\/p>\n
Isamaa will hold the mayor’s seat in Tallinn for the first two years, after which it will go to the Center Party.<\/p>\n
Isamaa has promised to appoint an apolitical mayor<\/a>. According to political analyst T\u00f5nis Leht, this decision was made with the upcoming parliamentary elections in mind.<\/p>\n “Choosing an apolitical mayor allows Isamaa to distance itself, if needed, from what’s happening in Tallinn and from the Center Party and their cooperation. They can say that any mess that might happen in Tallinn isn’t really connected to Isamaa \u2014 that it was the apolitical mayor’s doing,” Leht said.<\/p>\n If things go well, however, the party can still claim credit for the success, he added.<\/p>\n Sociologist Juhan Kivir\u00e4hk noted that the position could have gone to Urmas Reinsalu who was Isamaa’s candidate for mayor.<\/p>\n “Apparently Isamaa doesn’t want to tie itself so directly [to the coalition]. And with the parliamentary elections just a year and a half away, Reinsalu probably has other plans than to serve as mayor,” Kivir\u00e4hk said.<\/p>\n According to established convention, the mayoralty traditionally goes to the party in the coalition that won the most votes \u2014 in this case, the Center Party. Leht described giving up the mayor’s post as a significant concession.<\/p>\n “The Center Party still needs to retain a position of power in Tallinn \u2014 K\u00f5lvart and the Center Party urgently need city-funded jobs to keep the party’s core group together and to use that base to mount a stronger campaign for the parliamentary elections,” said Leht.<\/p>\n Kivir\u00e4hk added that the Center Party may not end up getting the mayor’s post at all \u2014 two years is a long time in politics and the Isamaa\u2013Center coalition could be replaced by a four-party alliance. “We don’t know what will happen two years from now after the parliamentary elections. Whether this coalition continues or not depends entirely on the election results.”<\/p>\n Media speculation has named Tallinn city secretary Kairi Vaher as a possible mayoral candidate, but she told “Aktuaalne kaamera” that no such offer has been made and that she is not interested in becoming mayor. Attorney-at-law and former Justice Chancellor Allar J\u00f5ks and entrepreneur Indrek Neivelt \u2014 whose names have also been floated \u2014 told public broadcaster ERR that the rumors are baseless.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Follow ERR News on Facebook<\/a> and X<\/a> and never miss an update!<\/p>\n