Savisaar and Herkel meet
Center Party and Free Party heads met for the first time since the March 1 elections, with speculation rife that the current Reform Party-SDE-IRL coalition could split. The Center Party (27 seats) and the Free Party (8 seats) are the two largest opposition parties in the Estonian Parliament.
The two talked about economic and social issues, as well as the current and any potential coalition. Edgar Savisaar has previously met Social Democrat (SDE) Chairman Jevgeni Ossinovski.
Herkel told his party after the meeting that no deal was struck or talked about, and the Center Party's relations with Vladimir Putin's United Russia would still make any cooperation complicated.
Center Party secretary general Priit Toobal said there is no point in talking about a new coalition until the current one has dissolved.
Ossinovski could hold the key to the current coalition continuing or falling apart, having criticized the Reform Party and proposed changes to the coalition agreement. But a SDE-Center Party coalition would need additional votes and the Free Party's 8 votes would not be enough to claim majority in the Parliament. SDE and the Free Party have also said it would be difficult to work with Savisaar, although they have no objections to working with the Center Party.
The Social Democrats are holding a congress on Sunday to discuss the current coalition.
Editor: J.M. Laats