The tense relations at the top of the center party have not disappeared and could worsen further in view of the next European Parliament elections. However, the larger wave of departures from the party is believed to have passed for now.
Former Center Party president Jüri Ratas, who accused her main rival in the European Parliament elections, Yana Toomi, of financially supporting non-citizens who turn to Estonian state courts, admits that the party does not have a team united, and that those who have left so far are mostly members of the Estonian-speaking party.
“These departures were significant for the party, and these departures mainly concern Estonian-speaking members, which also demonstrates our support index today, when we talk about the support of Estonian-speaking voters. It is not a question of difference camps, but it shows how firmly the Center Party is seen in Estonia tomorrow, including in politics. Of course, maybe there will still be people who will leave,” Ratas said.
At the same time, Ratas states that he does not intend to leave the party for the moment. “Many, including me, wonder whether tomorrow and the day after tomorrow the political party will be taken seriously in Estonian politics. But if you ask me whether I am leaving somewhere today or whether I am planning to do so, at the moment I am not.”
Yana Toom says the group of people who think differently from her within the party is small. “We have the problem that there is a group – quite small in my opinion, but it exists – that somehow fails to adapt to the decision of Congress, which was made in September.”
Toom believes there will not be a major shift away from the Center Party. “I believe there has already been a big wave, so there shouldn’t be such a big departure, because we are all professionals and everyone understands that no one favors these defectors, let’s be honest,” he said.
Urmas Jaagant, political journalist for Eesti Ekspress, says that tensions in the Center Party have increased to the same level after the election of the new president.
“At the moment, at least, it is not publicly visible that the situation has somehow become more tense. The camps are the same ones that were already formed when the new president was elected. What makes the situation a little funny is that what Yana Toom did was done for a long time and she didn’t make a big secret because before it was also talked about in the media, but then it didn’t bother those who now find it morally unacceptable,” Jaagant said.
The president of the Central Party, Mihhail Kõlvart, refrained from taking sides in the clash between Ratas and Toomi and was not available for comments on “Aktuaalnesle kaemare” either on Wednesday.
2024-01-03 19:23:00
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