In a statement, Kallas said: "Eesti 200's goal is to win the elections and bring freshness to Tartu's city administration and form a new city government." The party will run a full list of candidates at the election.

She said polling shows the party has become the second most popular among Tartu residents and is currently polling at 20 percent, giving them a strong chance.

The party has also put together a team of approximately 100 people in Tartu many of whom are specialists in their field, entrepreneurs, university employees or people from the cultural sector. Young people have set the tone.

Kallas said Tartu needs an ambitious plan to revive entrepreneurship and create jobs as there is a lack of ambition in the council. She said Estonia's second largest city needs more companies and new economic sectors, such as start-up EdTech and in the cultural and manufacturing sectors. It should also be fighting to retain students who come to study but then move to Tallinn after graduation.

"Let's make Tartu the Estonia we want - open to the world, where educated people from across the world want to come. We will make Tartu a more ambitious center of attraction, where big things are constantly happening in a big place, such as the Arena Tartu," Kallas said.

More attention also needs to be paid to raising awareness of climate problems and helping to solve them. Plans include developing better cycle lanes, creating a circular economy and preservation and development of the city's parks and green spaces. 

The current mayor of Tartu is Urmas Klaas (Reform) and the elections will take place on October 17.

Editor's note: From now on ERR News will refer to Eesti 200 as Eesti 200 rather than Estonia 200.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!