Martin Helme: Politics not normalized as long as Kaja Kallas is a player

Estonia's political atmosphere can never be normalized for as long as opposition Reform Party leader Kaja Kallas is on the scene, Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) leader Martin Helme says.
Talking to ETV political discussion show "Esimene stuudio" Wednesday, Helme recounted that when a repointed vote of no-confidence, in himself, since Mart Helme had already stepped down as interior minister, was going ahead at the Riigikogu on Monday, he had announced to the chamber: "Show me your worst, Mordor."
This reference to a region in the fictional works of J.R.R. Tolkien Helme used to characterize a cartel of global liberals, also active in Estonia, which he said was behind the vote against him.
"I'm talking about a liberal front, which essentially tells us practically every day that there is only one way society can live in peace, namely the way where everyone does as we say, and when everyone doesn't do as we say, it is opening the gates of hell. Therein lies the evil," Helme went on.
On being asked by presenter Andres Kuusk as to whether this made Kaja Kallas Sauron, the ruler of Mordor in the stories, Helme said: "Calling her Sauron might be overstating it a little, since while Sauron was the ruler of Mordor, he was also very active and efficient and successful – however, the same cannot be said of Kaja Kallas. What can be said of Kaja Kallas is that as long as she is the leader of the main opposition party, there will be no normal political atmosphere in Estonia."
"This whipping and beating that today's opposition has been engaging in for the past year and a half is itself the division and demolition of society that they are constantly pinning on everyone else," he went on.
Martin's father, and interior minister Mart, who stepped down Monday in the wake of a furor over remarks he made about the U.S. presidential election and new president-elect Joe Biden, had already wanted to resign from office, and for further reasons, Martin Helme went on.
"The factors are a bit more involved than the gossip the media is raking over again," Helme told "Esimene stuudio".
"The reason is that he never desperately wanted to be a minister. We also have people in the party who do want to be ministers, and some of them are – for instance myself – but he (Mart – ed.) is more of a philosopher-ruler, meaning the routine and bureaucratic work of a minister was not really suitable for him anyway, and he has said passionately to me many times that he wants to be able to live a normal life," Helme went on.
The impending vote of no-confidence initiated by Reform following the remarks Mart and Martin Helme made on a Tre Raadio talk show Sunday, saying that the elections in America had been rigged, that Joe Biden and his son Hunter were nefarious characters and that civil war was possibly brewing, was not a factor in his father's decision, Martin Helme added.
"We do take stock before the critical votes, and it is nothing new or surprising when we have had some losses in previous votes of non-confidence, but they were not critical losses. We came to this conclusion without any pressure as is supposed. We simply will not give the opposition the satisfaction of being able to go along with their, I would say inadequate and false stories – we just wouldn't give them the satisfaction," he went on.
"And then they simply switched in two letters in the name, and went ahead, but without any success," he went on, referring to the fact that following Mart Helme's resignation Monday, Reform held the vote of no-confidence in Martin Helme as finance minister, in lieu. This vote did not pass the Riigikogu.
The full "Esimene suudio" segment (in Estonian) is here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte