중동부유럽

On March 26, a majority in the Tallinn City Council declared no confidence in its elected mayor, Mihhail Kõlvart, who has governed since 2019. His replacement by Acting Mayor Madle Lippus (Social Democratic Party) marks the end of almost two decades of unbroken Center Party tenure in the capital. It has been a truism in Estonian politics since the early 2000s that many Tallinn voters supported the Center Party, providing it with a solid base of support. Kõlvart’s ouster marks the loss of the Center Party’s loyal bloc. One begins to wonder how Estonian politics may look without the Center Party. The country’s bifurcation along urban-rural lines accelerates while established parties lose ground to challengers who attempt to rally disaffected voters.