Both politicians are members of the Social Democrats (SDE), and long-serving former MP Kalvi Kõva is trading the Riigikogu for Võru town hall, just as Anti Allas, his predecessor as mayor, is moving to Tallinn.

One of the major issues facing Võru County is the planned expansion of the Nursipalu military training area – an existing zone which is being brought up to the same standard as its North Estonian counterpart, the Central Training Area, in Harju County.

On this issue, Kõva said: "I consider myself to be a person who has always spoken out on Nursipalu issues, even with its initial expansion."

The training area was recommissioned in 2008, having been used for military purposes in the more distant past.

"[The latest expansion] will certainly make a massive difference; even now it has changed the quality of life in this region. But if the state is very keen to expand it – although I have doubts as to why it would need to do so – then it is imperative to think about mitigating all the possible effects that the expansion of Nursipalu will entail. In my soul, I am not in favor of expanding Nursipalu – in other words in my opinion, there is already enough military infrastructure in Estonia to bring enough distress to societal nerves as is."

Kõva added that while he will ring some changes on the Anti Allas years, the principle of local people being involved at all times, even invited for coffee drop-ins where necessary, will continue.

He also stressed a need to ensure the city gets its fair share of EU support, even as it has already seen plenty of investment into projects, from both local and state level.

Kõva was voted in as mayor by Võru city council, with 13 votes in favor and six against.

Despite being most closely identified with Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur, and therefore with the Reform Party, the Nursipalu issue did not seem to make a dent in Reform's electoral result in electoral district No. 11, Võru-, Valga- and Põlva counties. Reform took four of the eight seats up for grabs in the district, in fact.

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