Estonian United Left Party to reregister as Vasakpoolsed
The Estonian United Left Party will be changing its name and electing a new board come February.
The website of the Estonian United Left Party reveals that its board is working on a plan to modernize the organization and turn it into a "serious alternative for left-leaning voters."
The activity plan is dubbed Vasakpoolsed 2.0 and aimed at turning the United Left Party into a strong left-wing force on the Estonian party landscape – Erakond Vasakpoolsed (Left-wingers), the site reads.
The party aims to hold a general meeting on February 3, 2024 to elect a chairman and board as well as approve its program and changes to its statutes.
The non-parliamentary party currently lists Jane Priimägi as its political leader.
But a Harju County Court injunction lists Keijo Lindeberg, who is a member of the Parempoolsed party, an alternate board member for the United Left Party.
Lindeberg told ERR that he sees no problem being a member of one party while running another.
"One of my roles is that of an attorney, while the other is private. Attorneys represent their clients, which in this case is a political party. As an alternate board member, I mainly run the organizational side of things," he said.
Lindeberg said he has hired a head of communication and put together a group of people in charge of political matters at the United Left Party.
Asked whether he finds it peculiar that a Parempoolsed (Right-wingers) member is helping to run a left-wing party, Lindeberg suggested that perhaps the United Left Party needed a right-wing point of view to sort out its problems. "The party has been in a rather problematic state for years. It is good to have someone with a slightly different view at the helm, perhaps it will help the party become operational," he said.
Lindeberg pointed out that he is not a particularly active member of the Parempoolsed and did not run in the 2023 general election.
He said that the United Left Party wants to be the first and only left-wing party in Estonia and believes the left field to be vacant in Estonia today. "Looking at the Social Democrats, they're left-wing only until the Reform Party proposes a coalition. After that, their worldview takes a back seat."
Lindeberg considers the Estonian Greens to be the closest competitor for the incoming Vasakpoolsed.
Party would not call into question recent foreign and security policy
Lindeberg said that the party would not deviate from Estonia's recent foreign and security policy course. "Rather, we want to concentrate on domestic problems, the fact that less fortunate and ordinary working people are being overlooked today."
The attorney added that the party is looking to target younger voters in their 20s and 30s.
Lindeberg's powers as a board member will be expire as soon as the party elecs its new board in February.
The United Left Party had 559 registered members as of November 21.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski