Isamaa, Reform, SDE, and Eesti 200 plan to hold discussions in the near future, without the Center Party. EKRE has excluded itself from a future coalition, saying it prefers to stay in opposition.

Potential partners said on Wednesday they are ready to make concessions during the negotiations. However, Isamaa's suggestion to tie some state-level issues to joining the coalition has found little support.

By Wednesday evening, all factions had held meetings, except Isamaa which will meet on Thursday afternoon to prepare its proposals and conditions.

Reform said there is a power vacuum in Tallinn and quick action is needed. Speed is more important than drawing red lines.

"The important thing now is to start governing the city, to keep the Center Party out of power, because they have messed up the city's governance and they could be back if we do not move quickly here," said the Reform's Tallinn faction leader Pärtel-Peeter Pere.

Isamaa members are hoping for a work-friendly coalition because there is a lot of common ground among the parties.

However, it surprised potential partners by saying the party wants to tie state-level decisions to joining the coalition.

Riina Solman (Isamaa) highlighted the so-called Robin Hood redistribution policy and voting rights for third-country nationals in local elections.

"This can be done today by exactly the same people who come to our coalition table, who are in power in this country. And this is about disenfranchising citizens of the aggressor state in local elections. Because look, when the local elections come up in a year's time, who is going to vote there?" she said.

"But we are not drawing any red lines right now. We are talking about seeking a basic consensus, and what could be a basic consensus issue other than a security issue?" added Solman.

The Social Democratic Party (SDE) is also prepared to be flexible. But it does not agree with Isamaa's plan.

"Indeed, it is a bit strange to link municipal level negotiations with any kind of national level decisions. Even more so, if the issue is that the Tallinn power talks should decide to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia. I think this construct is rather dangerous," said Jevgeni Ossinovski, leader of SDE's faction.

Eesti 200 does not see any possible disagreements on municipal-level issues, and plans to approach the negotiations with an optimistic outlook.

"All these issues concerning all kinds of municipal matters, whether it's snow clearance or tram services, they need to be solved in the most sensible way, in the best way for the citizens of the city, and in the best way for the money. I don't even think it is possible to have clashes on these issues that we can't agree on," said Marek Reinaas, vice-chairman of Eesti 200.

On Tuesday, the council voted in favor of a vote of no confidence against Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart (Center). SDE also withdrew from the two-party Center-SDE coalition which had governed Tallinn since the 2021 local elections.

Opposition parties now plan to form a coalition without the Center Party for the first time in almost 20 years.

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