Kiik joined SDE in January, leaving Center several months after Mihhail Kõlvart was elected chairman.

The Tallinn City Council and Riigikogu member told "Ringvaade" he viewed the collapse of Tallinn's coalition pragmatically.

"I do not celebrate it. But in a sense, this coalition has reached its natural end. You could see that the Center Party group on the city council was steadily shrinking, with seven people leaving during that time," Kiik said. "On the other hand, there is undoubtedly the decision of the district court, which very comprehensively clarified what had happened in the Tallinn City Government and cast a serious shadow over it, to put it politely."

The MP said he did not vote against his former political party, but instead for a new coalition

Kiik said Kõlvart, who lost a no-confidence vote on Tuesday, was a relatively strong mayor because many of the projects he initiated were reasonable. However, he said, many topics did not receive enough attention and the decision-making process took a long time.

Kiik said Kõlvart cannot be accused of being pro-Russian, an accusation frequently leveled at him.

"I think this is an exaggeration. All the mayors of Tallinn that I have known have been pro-Estonian. Certainly, there has been a difference in the profile of a particular voter and which constituencies are given more attention. There are differences within this and probably also between future mayors. But to say that one is pro-Estonian and the other pro-Russian is, I think, an artificial exaggeration," he said.

There has been speculation that Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE), head of the party's faction in the council, will become the next mayor, but Kiik said it is too early to say. Coalition talks have not yet officially begun. However, he said Ossinovski would be a suitable mayor.

"I think he would be a strong mayor, he has been the chairman of the council, a two-time minister, [he is] an experienced politician. He could definitely handle this job," Kiik said.

He said that the new city administration and the new city government must be better than the previous one, i.e. it must be able to serve the city's residents, ensure stability, and the credibility of the city administration.

"All four potential partners in the coalition need to make an effort," the former minister of health went on.

Kiik said honest and hardworking city officials do not have to worry about their jobs. Another issue is with political positions, because in their case you always have to take into account that when there is a change of power, you will also be left without a job.

He said Tallinn should retain free public transport, but reforms are needed to the lines.

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