Overshadowed by the effects of the Russian war against Ukraine, Estonia today elected a new parliament. According to pre-election polls, a victory for Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’ liberal business reform party was on the horizon. Kallas, who has been the first woman to head Estonia’s government since 2021, is considered one of Ukraine’s most resolute supporters in Europe.
Currently, the 45-year-old is leading a three-party coalition with the Social Democrats and the conservative Isamaa Party. However, it is unclear whether this alliance can remain in power despite Kallas’ high approval ratings. A total of up to six parties can make it to the parliament of the Baltic EU and NATO country. The first official results are expected tonight.
Tough government training is anticipated
Possible coalitions after the election are likely to be determined in particular by the performance of the two opposition forces – the populist right-wing EKRE party and the centre-left party. The liberal group Eesti 200 also has promising chances of entering parliament for the first time. Even before the vote, pollsters and experts expected that forming a government would be difficult.
One of the dominant issues of the election campaign was Russia’s war against Ukraine, which Estonia sees as a direct threat to national security. The Baltic state shares an almost 300 kilometer border with Russia. The war also raised thorny questions about how to deal with society itself. About a quarter of Estonia’s roughly 1.2 million people are of Russian origin.