Jüri Ratas: The Center Party's coalition with EKRE and Isamaa worked
Center Party leader and former PM Jüri Ratas harks back to the previous coalition of Center, EKRE and Isamaa and describes it as functional. Whether the three parties will join forces again should become clear next week.
The board of the Center Party on Friday decided to launch political consultations for a coalition with Isamaa and the Conservative People's Party (EKRE). "We are ready, and they will need to have their in-house discussions. The main thing for Center is to concentrate on [people's] subsistence, or make preparations for the heating season, and we definitely do not want to give up on the idea of hiking family and child benefits. Those are the three most important things," Ratas told ERR on Sunday.
Even though Ratas' second government (2019-2021) with Isamaa and EKRE saw him apologize on numerous occasions for EKRE leaders' sharp statements, Ratas now finds it was a functional coalition. "I believe the coalition with Isamaa and EKRE was a businesslike one and made a lot of important decisions for defense policy and research and development. What is paramount - the coalition actually worked, and we need a workable coalition in the current security situation," Ratas offered.
The Center leader does not hold extraordinary elections to be likely. "It would not be sensible to hold extraordinary elections ten months before regular ones. I believe that the Riigikogu is capable of finding a functional coalition, whether under the Reform Party or some other political force - next week will tell. We will know more about how to move forward then," he said.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
