Eurosceptic EKRE Pärnu councilor no-confidence motion fails by one vote

A vote of no-confidence in Pärnu city government's deputy chair has failed, by just one vote. The councilor, Helle Kullerkupp (EKRE), had in December posted on social media, attacking a rural municipality for flying the European Union flag.
Fourteen deputies from the opposition Isamaa and Reform parties on Pärnu city government, along with one Social Democratic (SDE) councilor, signed the motion on December 17.
Kullerkupp had posted a photo of the EU flag side-by-side with the Estonian flat at Saarde municipality, east of Pärnu, adding the text: "Shame on you, Saarde municipality leaders. Did [Estonian] freedom fighters give their lives for a federal Europe? Even the flag law is not sacred to you. Take down this foreign flag of enslavement immediately."
The signatories to the no-confidence motion said that Kullerkupp had harmed the city government's reputation by attacking local government leaders and referring to the EU as enslavers.
However, the motion failed to pass, finding one more vote (20) against than the 19 in favor, in effect because all ruling deputies voted against and all in opposition voted for the motion.
Pärnu's city government consists of 39 members, with a coalition of a local electoral alliance, Pärnu Ühendab, joining Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) and Center in office. The opposition is made up of 19 Isamaa, Reform and SDE members.
EKRE draws much of its popular support on a national as well as regional level from Pärnu County, in southwestern Estonia. Saarde municipality has a population of a little under 4,000, and borders with Latvia.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte