Ossinovski is SDE's leader at Tallinn City Council and was speaking following a motion on no confidence in Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) as mayor which took place Tuesday morning.

SDE had up to now been in office with Center in Tallinn.

Ossinovski noted that the four opposition parties' earlier criticisms over the size and cost of Tallinn's city media would certainly be on the table once a new coalition is installed.

Ossinovski said: "I think this a legitimate topic for discussion. The issue needs to be discussed holistically.

"Naturally the capital must have certain information capabilities and channels, but whether to this extent – I would say preferably not."

Currently, Tallinn employs 41 staff in its media departments plus an additional 14 people communications staff, along with four senior communications staff.

Its media endeavors include a web editorial team (five staff), the Pealinn free local newspaper (seven people), the Stolitsa free paper (nine staff), effectively the Russian-language version of Pealinn, a TV editorial team (10 employees), plus a technical production editorial team (eight people).

Another area which attracted opposition criticism, especially from the Reform Party and Isamaa, concerns the partisan "food chain," whereby city institutions, plus the boards and management at various municipal companies and foundations, tend to be staffed by Center Party members.

Ossinovski claims his party has been quite successful in disrupting this chain in the time it has been in coalition with Center, since late 2021 and following the October elections of that year.

"For example, with the management structure at municipal enterprises and foundations," the SDE Tallinn leader said.

"If you compare the composition of the boards in October 2021 with the situation now, the difference is clear. We have also closed and merged various joint stock companies and foundations, to reduce that. Are there people within the City of Tallinn system whose function is not entirely clear from a public administration standpoint – yes, there are," Ossinovski went on.

Since negotiations on forming a new coalition still lie in the future, it would be premature to specify what certain actions will be taken. However, one theme up for discussion is whether the city should at least partly assume responsibility in clearing sidewalks of snow and ice – a task currently incumbent upon property owners, both private and commercial.

"Up to now this has mainly been a political slogan by the opposition. It is a nice slogan, and is one which I agree with, but implementing will not be as easy as it seems. SDE have discussed this issue at city government level and have carried out some analytical preparation. Doing something is viable, but to quickly implement a system like that across the city is likely not so feasible. However, if it's a topic for discussion, then discuss it we will," Ossinovski went on.

As for local taxes including any possible property tax, Ossinovski said that with only a year-and-a-half left to the next local elections, in October 2025, major changes are not realistic.

However, he said, SDE aim to protect fundamental principles in the negotiations. "Socially democratic issues of welfare are undoubtedly important to us, and we will stand for these. Perhaps we also need to defend them against proposals from other parties. Things that we believe are working well should continue to do so. In our view, many things in Tallinn work quite well. Themes like urban space and the environment are, of course, also key for us," Ossinovski said.

Progress must also be made on the proposed Tallinn Hospital project, Ossinovski added.

SDE on Tuesday morning joined the Reform Party, Isamaa, Eesti 200, and, in one case at least, the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), in voting in favor of a motion of no confidence against Mihhail Kõlvart on Tuesday, aligning with the former opposition.

The new coalition in Tallinn is reportedly likely to crystallize around four parties: SDE, Reform, Eesti 200 and Isamaa.

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