Ossinovski Puts Himself Up for Mayor of Narva
Social Democrat MP Jevgeni Ossinovski has said he is ready to leave Parliament for the top job in Narva, after the majority holder, the Center Party, has failed to find a candidate 45 days after the local elections.
Ossinovski told ERR radio today that a vacuum of power is not in the interests of Narva, Estonia's third largest city.
The Center Party has a clear majority in Narva City Council with 20 seats compared to the 11 won by the Social Democrats. But the opposition is feeling confident, having failed to win a single seat four years ago, while the Center Party's result was over 15 percentage points worse this year.
The MP said he will not take his seat in council, despite winning the most votes, nearly double that of any Center Party candidate, but that he would lead the city, if given the opportunity.
Head of the Center Party's Narva region, Andrus Tamm, said that Ossinovski's plan is not realistic and they are in negotiations and a mayor candidate will be found. That message was reiterated by the previous mayor, Tarmo Tammiste, who currently heads the city's council.