Estonia, Tallinn: Members of the Reform Party and supporters of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (centre) pose for a picture.
Image: dpa
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will most likely remain in office and feels empowered to put even more pressure on Russia. The right-wing extremist EKRE party came in second.
Bhe pro-European Reform Party led by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has become the strongest force in the parliamentary elections in Estonia. After counting 98 percent of the votes, Kallas’ liberal faction received 31.5 percent of the votes, the right-wing extremist EKRE party came in second with 16.1 percent. EKRE’s strong performance reflects concerns from some voters about the rising cost of living in the country of 1.3 million in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Kallas said her party is in a strong position after the election to form a coalition government that will continue to pressure Russia. “We … need to invest in our security, our aggressive neighbor hasn’t gone away and won’t go away, so we have to work with that,” she told reporters at a hotel in central Tallinn where party supporters had gathered for the evening.
Should Kallas succeed in forming a coalition, it would consolidate the pro-European stance of the Baltic country and its neighbor Russia. As in the last election, turnout was 63.7 percent.