Ivask was the sole candidate for the post and was backed by all 13 coalition deputies and the 19-member chamber, plus two from the opposition, in the secret ballot.

Similarly, Priit Värk (Uus Paide), a former mayor himself, was returned as council chair as the sole candidate running, with a majority of 14.

The newly installed coalition consists of Isamaa, EKRE and electoral alliance Uus Paide, together with deputies Alo Aasma, Margit Udam and Anneli Suits (all of (Paide - Inimeste linn electoral alliance).

This is Ivask's second term as mayor; he last held the post a decade ago.

Ivask picked up 51 votes at the October 2021 local elections, running for Isamaa, though he was not a member of the party at that point in time – he later joined in January 2022, ERR reports.

He had previously been a member of Isamaa forerunners Isamaaliit and IRL, from the late '90s to mid-2020s.

Paide's previous mayor, Eimar Veldre (SDE), stepped down in the autumn.

With a population of around 8,000, Paide is well-know for hosting the annual Arvamusfest each August, in the grounds of its Livonian Order Baltic crusader-era castle.

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