Evicted EKRE chairman candidate forecasts wave of departures

Silver Kuusik, former Conservative People's Party (EKRE) board member and chairman candidate, said that the opposition party is in for a wave of departures and that it is possible to represent the national conservative worldview without EKRE's leading Helme family.
EKRE evicted Silver Kuusik Tuesday, mere days before its congress, alongside several other core members who endorsed him for the position of party chairman.
Kuusik appeared on the "Terevisioon" morning show Wednesday and said that EKRE will see other rank and file members, MPs and local politicians quit its ranks after chairman Martin Helme's purge.
The board of the national conservative party also threw out its deputy chair Henn Põlluaas, MP Jaak Valge and recent Pärnu County regional head Helle Kullerkupp. Hours later, EKRE's Jaak Madison, elected to represent the party in the European Parliament on Sunday, said that he too will be leaving.
Asked which other EKRE MPs might soon quit the party, Kuusik mentioned Alar Laneman and Ants Frosch. He pointed out that while Varro Vooglaid and Leo Kunnas belong to EKRE's Riigikogu group, they are not members of the party.
"I don't think he likes all of the party's decisions either," Kuusik said of Kunnas.
The politician said that EKRE had 26 fewer members Wednesday morning compared to 24 hours before.
He said that EKRE's board meeting Tuesday that culminated in the evictions concentrated on the party's financial affairs, including how the party's campaign budget was only used to benefit Martin Helme.
According to Kuusik, EKRE's other European elections candidates got to use a fraction of what was made available to party leader. Kuusik said he believes the total campaign budget was around €200,000.
Asked what will happen to the party, Silver Kuusik said that the national conservative worldview does not need the Helme family to be viable.
He also pointed out that while EKRE's rating has hit 27 percent in the past, it is currently hovering around 14-15 percent, and that the purge is not likely to improve matters.
Kuusik highlighted as a problem that while EKRE is the first or second choice of people with a lower level of education, the party comes in sixth among those with higher education.
In terms of whether a new national conservative party might soon crop up, Kuusik said it is too soon to say but added that they'll keep an eye on developments.
EKRE's chairman and board election is to take place at the party congress to be held this Sunday. With Kuusik no longer a member, party head Martin Helme will likely be the only candidate.
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Editor: Mait Ots, Marcus Turovski