Center Party congress: Savisaar not running for chairman
Current chairman of the Center Party, Edgar Savisaar, announced on Friday that he would not attend the party’s extraordinary congress on Saturday, and that he is asking his supporters to vote for Yana Toom in the election of his successor.
At the same time, Savisaar stressed that he would not withdraw from politics and would definitely continue in the Center Party.
In a statement on social media, Savisaar wrote that since its creation 25 years ago, the Center Party had become “the most important factor in Estonian politics”. He added that it was sad to see that the people who convened the extraordinary congress — Simson, Reps, Ratas, and others — had turned away from the Center Party’s way of thinking and were trying to score points with personal attacks.
“I don't want to make the Center Party congress a farce, so I see no way for me to participate tomorrow,” he said. He invited members of the Center Party to vote for Yana Toom as its new chairwoman.
Jüri Ratas, who is running for the position, recognized Savisaar’s decision not to run on Saturday, as ERR’s Estonian news reported.
“I respect his decision,” Ratas was quoted saying. “I think it is a good thing when a person says before the congress if he intends to run or not.” Ratas added that there had been a feeling beforehand that this might happen.
Ratas said that if he was elected chairman, he intended to cooperate with other political parties.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS, ERR