You issued a joint statement together with Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart in which you put forward a so-called opposition action plan together. How did you end up working together with Mihhail Kõlvart?

A lot of different things can be described as cooperation. Interaction like this between the leaders of various parties is essential so that people can clearly understand what someone's differing views and shared views are. So I've had these discussions with a whole lot of people. And since I hope that Mr. Kõlvart is likewise driven by concern for Estonia and Estonia's future, then of course I've discussed this with him as well.

Why didn't you invite the other opposition parties, the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) and Isamaa, to join this statement too?

I think this appeal is a very good appeal for EKRE and Isamaa too. Various opposition forces actually need to unite right now, when the Reform Party is overrunning everything, from tax matters to national defense matters – then the opposition must unite. This is the first initiative, which other opposition parties will hopefully agree with and join. I'm more of an intermediary who certainly agrees with the goal that the opposition has to be strong right now.

But why didn't you agree with [Isamaa chair] Urmas Reinsalu and [EKRE chair] Martin Helme beforehand to have their names on the press release too?

As far as I know, Mr. Helme is currently on vacation, and very difficult to reach. And I've likewise communicated with Mr. Reinsalu, who is also genuinely deeply concerned about the current situation in Estonia and the future ahead of us. But right now, Mr. Kõlvart and I decided to put out this first statement together to make the appeal as robust as possible.

What will your cooperation and shared concern for Estonia with Mihhail Kõlvart and the Center Party look like going forward?

It's way too early to tell. In today's joint statement, we highlighted the most significant sore points and areas of concern, but it's very difficult to say on a personal level what this cooperation will end up looking like in the future.

However, currently there are three opposition parties in the Riigikogu – the Center Party, the Conservative People's Party and Isamaa. And these three parties clearly have to work closely together because this is a common goal, and the differences are only in the details. But this cooperation is essential, because the Reform Party's nearly 40 seats in the Riigikogu are still very depressing and dangerously too big a majority.

Are you going to join the Center Party too?

Not today.

But you won't rule it out?

In politics, it's really bad form in general to rule anything out. At the moment, I'm focusing primarily on ensuring that in the next Riigikogu elections in 2027, which is about two and a half years away, we'll have a situation where a new centrist-right wing conservative government can be formed that can leave the Reform Party in the opposition.

I am working toward this goal today – that such a combination could emerge. Which means that all conservative parties need to regain their strength and perform as well as possible in the elections and somehow earn the trust of voters.

Quite a few political enthusiasts have suggested that after your departure from EKRE, you would start working more closely with Isamaa, maybe even joining the party. Your cooperation with Mihhail Kõlvart's Center Party may come as a bit of a surprise.

Life is always full of surprises. Isamaa is without a doubt the most popular party in Estonia right now. Many politicians have joined it; Isamaa is riding on a wave of increasing popularity. And I also have a very good relationship with many members of Isamaa; we share exactly the same views. But sometimes these political enthusiast observers maybe even prematurely predict things that haven't come to pass. So let's give it time and see what the future holds.

But what will your future bring, then? Are you weighing your options right now? Have a lot of parties invited you to join?

There are various offers. Personally, I wholeheartedly support and wish all the best to the newly established Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK) party. They were able to form a new party very quickly, already have a strong membership base and a clear ideology. So I hope they do very well, and crossing that election threshold will be no problem for them in 2027.

But at the same time, I am personally moving toward the goal and based on the interest that a new conservative government will emerge in 2027. So I'm putting my personal interests on the back burner here. I'm not making my moves driven by being reelected in the next Riigikogu or European Parliament elections at all costs, but rather by achieving the best possible outcome for the overall political mix.

Why is it that you didn't join this new conservative party?

Right now, I've wholeheartedly supported and indirectly aided in the founding of the new party, because I'm really glad that people who were either kicked out of or forced to leave their previous party have been able to come together under one roof and so quickly found a new party with a very clear ideological goal.

But I'm prioritizing my personal actions based on a greater goal. And that greater goal is not whether one party gets 20 percent or 5 percent of the vote, but first and foremost how to contribute as much as possible to ensure that in 2027, these conservative parties together achieve a clear majority in the Riigikogu. So I've been in touch with representatives of various parties accordingly.

So you're not convinced that ERK has the potential to make it in the elections?

I believe they already have great potential to make it right now, because for a brand new party to get a 3 percent result in the first ratings polls is great beyond expectations. That is a very good starting point. I believe that with or without me, they'll definitely earn a very respectable result.

Could you still join this party? You haven't ruled it out?

If I had to rule out anything today, I'd only rule out joining the Reform Party, the Social Democrats (SDE) and Eesti 200.

But coming back to the Center Party, the local elections are coming up. How likely is it that you'll run in the local elections somewhere on the Center Party's list?

It's as likely as me not running.

50/50?

50/50.

How do you see the future of your former party, EKRE, right now?

It's very hard to talk about my former party, because let's be honest, it was my first official party, where I was a member for 11 years. A lot of work got done, a lot of results were achieved together. But right now I fear that the right moments to rectify or smooth over the situation that had arisen have been missed. I fear that it's rather heading toward 10 percent or just below that. That's going to be very difficult, because competition among right-wing conservatives is going to be fierce. They have a strong voter base and well-known brand, but when it's candidates that people have to start choosing in the voting booth, then the situation there wasn't great before, and now it's definitely much worse.

Seems strange when two parties with the same worldview – ERK and EKRE – will find it very difficult if not impossible to work together in the future. Because the interpersonal relationships there just took that big of a hit.

Generally speaking, things will get more smoothed out. The current political situation in Estonia is similar to Latvia's, where with each election cycle, more new parties that on paper seem ideologically similar always crop up, and ultimately things tend to boil down to personal conflicts, which is completely unnecessary in my opinion.

Ultimately speaking, people in politics should be driven by some kind of goal, which is the welfare, security and economic growth of the country and its people. Unfortunately, in real life, people sometimes exclude one another purely for personal reasons. I don't think that should happen. That's also one reason why I personally have absolutely no problem whatsoever issuing joint statements with Mr. Kõlvart. If we share a common goal.

And the new party ERK and EKRE will inevitably have to work together. Ultimately, it's very likely EKRE will exceed the election threshold, and ERK's goal is to exceed the election threshold, and hopefully they will. And inevitably, the common goal in the Riigikogu in that case has to be the survival of the Estonian state and the welfare of the people and hopefully forcing the Reform Party into the opposition. So I very sincerely hope that the chairs of both parties will be able to sit down together and smooth out the rough edges.

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