Tallinn: Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallis’ centre-right Reform Party won Sunday’s general election by a wide margin, with 31.6 percent of the vote to the far-right EKRE’s 16 percent, according to near-complete results.
To stay in power, Reform will have to form a coalition again with one or more parties that have entered the Baltic state’s 101-seat parliament.
The Center Party got 14.7 percent of the vote, Estonia 200 got 13.5 percent, the Social Democrats got 9.4 percent, and the Osama (Fatherland) Party got 8.3 percent.
“It’s much better than we expected,” Callas told reporters. “We have rejected the alliance with EKRE and I stand by my words.”
Reform is a center-right liberal party that appeals to business owners and young professionals.
He has promised to increase military spending to at least three percent of GDP, ease taxes on business, and wants to pass a law allowing same-sex civil partnerships.
Callas told JEE News in a recent interview: “We support an open, friendly, Western-minded, European, smart country.”
“My main rival thinks that we should not help Ukraine, we should not support Ukraine, we should only look out for our own interests,” she said, referring to the far-right EKRE.
The country of 1.3 million people, which borders Russia and is a member of both the European Union and NATO, has led international calls over the past year to help Ukraine fight Moscow’s aggression. .
Estonia’s military aid to Ukraine is more than one percent of GDP – the largest of any country by the size of its economy.
Speaking about aid to Ukraine, Callas said on Sunday: “I don’t think it will change with such a strong mandate.”
“Other parties – except EKRE and perhaps the Center – have chosen the same line. So I think we can find common ground here,” he added.
