As expected, Kaja Kallas continues its momentum. The Estonian Prime Minister’s Reform Party (centre-right) won the legislative elections on Sunday 5 March hands down, with 31.6% of the vote, ahead of the far-right party EKRE (16%), after the count of 402 of 405 constituency offices.
To govern, the Reform Party will have to form, as in the legislature which is ending, a coalition with one or more parties sitting in Parliament, which has 101 seats. The Center Party (center left) won 14.7% of the vote, Eesti 200 (liberal) 13.5%, the Social Democratic Party 9.4% and Isamaa (conservative) 8.3%, according to the Electoral Commission.
Questioned by the press, the outgoing Prime Minister said she was satisfied with the results, while wanting to wait for the final accounts. “It’s much better than we expected,” Ms. Kallas said. We have ruled out the coalition with EKRE and I stand by my words as I did in 2019.”
If the results were to hold, the Reform Party would surpass its result of four years ago (28.9%) and win four more seats with a new total of 38.
A very important contribution to help Ukraine
Popular among entrepreneurs and young professionals, the Reform Party has promised to raise military spending to at least 3% of GDP and lower corporate taxes. This formation also wants to pass a law approving civil partnerships between people of the same sex.
A member of the European Union and NATO, Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people, spearheaded international calls last year for increased military aid to Ukraine against the invasion of Russia. Estonian military aid to Ukraine currently amounts to more than 1% of its GDP, the largest contribution of any country relative to the size of their economy.
“I think with such a strong mandate, that won’t change,” Ms. Kallas said on Sunday. “The other parties ? with the exception of EKRE and perhaps the Center ? have chosen the same line. So I think we can find common ground here,” she added.