Poll: Center Party to Dominate Local Elections
Emor's most recent monthly public opinion poll, released last week, finds that the Center Party, while an opposition party in Parliament, continues to hold the biggest municipal-level backing, notably in Tallinn, ahead of next October's local government elections.
With the elections drawing closer, the Center Party is on a strong footing in much of Estonia, holding an accumulative 40 percent of votes from the country's biggest towns. The Social Dems, and the nationally ruling parties, the Reform Party and IRL, are far behind, with 13 percent, 9 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Center also looks set to continue its long reign in Tallinn, where support amounts to 47 percent - just four percentage points shy of an absolute majority. Experts calculate that 18 percent of the votes will be lost to independent candidates, election coalitions and small parties that can't pass the threshold, translating into an even higher, 53-54 percent for the Center Party.
"One thing is almost certain: in Tallinn, the Center Party will win," said the pollster's leading expert, Aivar Voog.
Astoundingly, the Center Party has dramatically increased its support among ethnic Russians by 20 percent in just a single month.
A political scientist at the University of Tartu, Rein Toomla, said one reason for the Center Party's popularity in Tallinn could be its superior incumbent, Mayor Edgar Savisaar. "They don't measure up to Savisaar in terms of recognition, charisma and perhaps political prowess," Toomla said.