Vakra Joins Social Democrats
Rainer Vakra and Inara Luigas, both ex-Center Party MPs, have joined the Social Democrats, increasing the party's presence in Parliament to 21 MPs, the same as the Center Party.
Vakra and Luigas quit the Center Party in April 2012 along with two other MPs and a number of other high-level Center Party members. The move was in protest of the ejection of Kalle Laanet from the party for criticizing the leadership of the Center Party.
During their unaffiliated period in Parliament, Vakra and others were known as the Democrats.
Vakra and Luigas both ran for the Social Democrats at the recent local elections, with 4,300 votes cast for Vakra in Tallinn, nearly the combined total for IRL Chairman Urmas Reinsalu and Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, who were running in the same district.