Tšerepanov received seven of the council's 13 votes while the other candidate, Andrei Martõnjak, garnered six, reported rus.err.ee. Both are members of the Social Democratic Party.

Paldiski, a seaside town 40 kilometers from Tallinn, has only 4,200 residents but plays a key role in the nation's transit business thanks to its large port and strategic rail connections.

The block that voted against Kallas said that he did not show enough initiative.

“There are many possibilities that have not been seized, […] we should use the opportunities that large companies based in Paldiski offer as the town has the potential to be turned into a big logistics center in Estonia,” said Tšerepanov, who was chair of the Russian Party of Estonia when it merged with the Social Democrats last January.

“Behind the move are two [municipal] election coalitions and their employers probably agreed that Stanislav Tšerepanov should be named the new mayor,” Kallas told ETV.

Kallas also said that the leadership of the Port of Paldiski was responsible for the shift in power.

In December, the city's former mayor Jaan Mölder was convicted of abuse of power for activities he carried out in the post in 2009.