Reform Party: Government in crisis
After a meeting of its parliamentary group on Monday morning, the Reform Party acknowledged that the government was in a crisis, and said that it expected its coalition partners to clarify why they had caused the crisis by moving to call back Reform Party members from the supervisory boards of state-owned companies.
The government was in agreement last week that the current procedure of appointing supervisory board members of state-owned enterprises was unconstitutional. Yet while the Social Democrats and IRL wanted to call back the board members in question, the Reform Party refused.
This prompted the government’s IRL and Social Democratic ministers to begin calling them back from the supervisory boards of state companies and funds in the competence of their ministries.
Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas said on Monday that the assertions of the other coalition parties that they didn’t intend to cause a government crisis were “hollow”. While they had been saying they wanted the current government to continue, they had orchestrated a “populist media attack”, Rõivas said.
Speaking at the rival Center Party’s extraordinary congress on Saturday, Social Democratic MP Helmen Kütt had said that her party was ready to work with Center, and that such cooperation could be “fruitful”. Yet instead of offering solutions to the issues at hand, IRL contributed and increased the current atmosphere of distrust, Rõivas complained.
“Center Party deputy chairman Kadri Simson acknowledged today that those parts of the coalition that have instigated the government crisis had met with them time and again. It is hypocritical of the coalition partners to blame the Reform Party for that. I have repeatedly confirmed and I’ll confirm again that it is not the aim of the Reform Party to destroy this government, and I expect clear words from our government partners as well,” Rõivas said.
The prime minister added that a crisis like this wasn’t a game. The parties had received a mandate in the last elections to run the country, not to go on playing through different government combinations. The survival of this government depended on IRL and the Social Democrats, Rõivas said.
Expression of no confidence vote planned against Rõivas for today Monday
The Center Party, the Free Party, and the Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) are planning a vote in the Riigikogu over an expression of no confidence against Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas. According to information available to ERR, the prime minister has asked the Riigikogu’s board to add the vote to Monday’s agenda.
The Center Party’s newly elected chairman, Jüri Ratas, confirmed to ERR on Monday morning that so far, no member of the ruling coalition supported the vote in writing.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn