Tatjana Lavrova withdraws Lasnmäe district elder candidacy
A leading member of the Teeme ära/World Cleanup Day initiative has stepped down as candidate for the next district elder of the Lasnamäe area of Tallinn, amid controversy over her stance on the Soviet war legacy and her involvement with efforts to contact Russian leader Vladimir Putin several years ago.
Tatjana Lavrova was nominated by the Social Democrats for the position, and has said of her decision to step down: "My words have been misunderstood, and I have come under public pressure as a consequence."
"I do not want to subject the Social Democrats and Tallinn City Government to the associated pressure, and so I am withdrawing my candidacy as Lasnamäe district elder," she went on.
Lavrova thanked all those who had supported her bid and had stood by her.
"I will surely continue to contribute to the development of Lasnamäe, only not as a district elder, and rather as an active citizen," she added.
SDE's Tallinn branch nominated Lavrova for the position last Wednesday, arguing that she has long been active in various non-profit organizations and has a proven track record as an excellent leader and someone who can engage with local residents.
However in a lengthy interview given to ERR, Lavrova stated that she and her team had addressed Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2018, with a view to getting clearance to spread World Cleanup Day into Russia.
She had also raised money for Soviet war veterans, and was critical of the 2007 removal and relocation across town of a bronze statue left over from the Soviet occupation of Estonia and which had been in a fairly prominent place in central Tallinn.
These issues were thought likely to drive a wedge within the four-party coalition and particularly between SDE and Isamaa; the latter's Tallinn city council whip, Riina Solman, had penned an opinion piece (link in Estonian) for ERR stating that Lavrova was not a suitable Lasnamäe elder candidate.
Lasnamäe, the most populous area of the capital and home to a large number of Russian-speaking residents, is the only one of Tallinn's districts still awaiting the appointment of an elder, following the entry into office of the SDE-Reform-Isamaa-Eesti 200 coalition over a month ago.
The appointed district elders are (Renata Lukk (Eesti 200, Kristiine district), Karmo Kuri (SDE, Nõmme), Sander Andla, (Reform, Kesklinn), Doris Raudsepp (Reform, Pirita), Külli Tammur (Põhja-Tallinn, Eesti 200), Anna Levandi (Isamaa, Haabersti), and Marja-Liisa Veiser (Isamaa, Mustamäe).
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
