Party ratings: Center gains, Reform unchanged, junior coalition partners lose
The latest party ratings commissioned by the Baltic News Service showed the opposition Center Party at 25%. While the ruling Reform Party’s popularity remained the same, the junior coalition parties lost a few points.
While Reform managed to maintain 22% support, the Social Democrats (SDE) lost 2% and stood at 17%, the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) at 8% support down from 9%. The combined voter support of the coalition amounted to 47% in October.
According to pollster Aivar Voog, the rise in the rating of the Center Party was connected to the enormous media coverage the party has been getting in recent weeks. Internal power struggles and the question who will be the party’s next chairman have kept it in the media.
“The position of the Center Party in the near term depends significantly on how Russian-speaking people will accept the potential change of leadership of the Center Party at the beginning of November, and whether or not the Center Party will split as a result,” Voog said.
From the other opposition parties, the Free Party managed to gain 3%, showing 15% public support. The Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) lost three points and came in at 10% support. According to Voog, this decline was the result of the party’s failure in the presidential election, as well as their opposition to the presidential bid of Marina Kaljurand, who had been the most popular candidate.
The decline in the popularity of the Free Party meanwhile could be ascribed to the party’s passivity over the summer months, and the stronger position of the ruling Reform Party at the beginning of the summer. “Now, in the autumn, the Free Party has become significantly more active, the position of the Reform Party has weakened, and this is reflected also in the rising rating of the Free Party,” Voog said.
Of the parties that have no seats in parliament, the Greens lost 1%, now the choice of just 3% of the poll’s respondents.
Kantar Emor conducted interviews with 987 voting age citizens across age groups for the survey between Oct. 14 and 19.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS