Estonia elections: PM Kallas secures big win for Reform party, to continue backing Ukraine

The Reform party of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas won the parliamentary election on Sunday (March 5), with Tallinn's (the capital and most populous city of Estonia) administration remaining one of Europe's most ardently pro-Kyiv, as reported by Reuters.

With 98 per centof the votes tallied, the results put Kallas' liberal party in second place with 16.1 per cent of the vote behind the far-right EKRE party's 31.5 per cent, reflecting voter concerns over rising living costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Baltic nation's pro-European direction would be cemented if Kallas, 45, is successful in putting together a coalition.

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After the election, Kallas claimed that her party was in a good position to create a coalition administration that would continue to put pressure on Russia.

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"We ... have to invest in our security, our aggressive neighbour has not vanished and will not vanish, so we have to work with that", she told reporters at a central Tallin hotel where party supporters gathered for the evening.

A man casts his vote during a general election in Parnu,EstoniaMarch 5, 2023. Photo credits: Reuters

2019 saw the Reform party win an election, but the three smaller parties that eventually formed a government prevented it from taking office. It split in 2021, paving the way for Kallas to take leadership and form a coalition.

The opposition party, EKRE had pledged to reduce energy costs by resisting the switch to green energy and to avoid taking in new Ukrainian conflict refugees throughout the campaign.

The party also criticised Kallas' strategy of transferring large amounts of weaponry to Ukraine, claiming it ignored that nation's own defence requirements.

(With inputs from agencies)

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