For me, the glory days of Eesti 200 were when the party had just been created, when you published your manifesto in 2018. Wise Tartu women had made the scene and came as a breath of fresh air in the musty political room dominated by middle-aged Tallinn men in suits. But then, in the fall of 2022, a political-technological coup took place at Eesti 200, with Lauri Hussar elected chairman in your place as a representative of the "suits." Are you trying to bring back the days of the women of Tartu with your decision to run for Eesti 200 chair again?

The manifesto in question was signed by two wise women from Tartu and two wise middle-aged men from Tallinn, while the people behind it number considerably more. But I do not really believe that it is possible to go back.

That said, politics should be considerably more knowledge-based, while being less dependent on political calculations. Eesti 200 represented this approach back then, and should do to a far greater degree in the government today.

Was there a time when it didn't represent this approach?

There was a time when we lost sight of what we are doing in the government in the first place and what we stand for. It took quite a lot of energy to learn how to get things done in the government.

There is a colossal gap. You have ideas you know could change the world and make it a better place. But the reality check you experience when you get to the actual decision-making processes is brutal. This happened for me, same as for everyone else. We need to climb out of it. Luckily, we've learned quite a lot over the past year.

We need to set our focus on why Eesti 200 is needed in politics. Phrasing this focus for ourselves is our most important task today.

Have you phrased it for yourself, personally?

Yes, I have. I already mentioned knowledge-based policymaking, even if it can potentially cost one voters. After all, voters like a populist approach, such as what [Isamaa leader] Urmas Reinsalu offers. According to Reinsalu, there are low taxes and generous benefits in Estonia's future.

The competitiveness of the Estonian economy must be an absolute priority. Tax hikes are not the only problem the economy faces as our fiscal deficit is also negatively impacting competitive ability. If you have two negative factors: tax hikes and deficit, you need to pick one to solve and we're solving the latter today.

One of the biggest bottlenecks of the Estonian economy is labor shortage. We are short on skilled labor and it's not even a topic of conversation. It's a fact in terms of why our competitiveness is not up to scratch.

We're constantly talking about it. Employers have been saying for years that there needs to be a simpler way to bring workers to Estonia. What we're not seeing are steps in that direction.

Yes, such steps need to be taken. For example, there are plans for a methanol plant in Pärnu, an investment of €1.2 billion, which should create 200 jobs. But many of those jobs require skilled workers Estonia is not training.

Therefore, the government must make a decision allowing the business to import these workers.

Allow me to return to Eesti 200's internal affairs. While politicians need thick skin, have you forgiven Lauri Hussar? Terras dropped out of the race in favor of Hussar back in 2022, which gave him the win. That was one time political technology defeated Eesti 200's initial idealism.

Yes, there may have been political-technological calculations there, while they did not justify themselves in hindsight as the party gained nothing. But I am not one to get stuck in the past and stew in resentment. I'd look ahead, to the future.

People gave us a mandate for introducing change to Estonian politics. We need to start executing that mandate. We have not done so until now.

Eesti 200's current chairman, Margus Tsahkna, will not be running [for chairman or the party board] this time around. Have you agreed that he will continue as foreign minister?

We have no such agreement. It came as a surprise that Margus will not be running. I was not aware. I called him after I saw the news. He said that he wants to concentrate on the work of the foreign minister, that he endorses me and will always be there for me. I see no reason to change our ministers at this time. We only just locked down our government delegation.

You will be going up against Hendrik Johannes Terras again. What is it a sign of?

There are several ways of looking at it. One is Tallinn versus Tartu. A member of the party asked me yesterday how long Eesti 200 plans to keep up this opposition between university folk from Tartu and Tallinn businessmen. Those two camps do not get along. A situation that seems typical of Estonia, does it not? The new chair will have their work cut out for them in reconciling those two teams.

Terras represents the Tallinn side in the board and is backed by young entrepreneurs.

Mr. Terras' European Parliament elections campaign funding came almost exclusively from businessman Joakim Helenius. Any comment?

It is not something I condone. I do not approve of Helenius' tactics of influencing people in the party with money. We've seen it in the case of other political parties. And it definitely isn't something that can lead to better decisions for the people.

While we're on the subject of the influence of money, it is certainly a problem for Eesti 200 that you're seen as a mouthpiece of certain IT businessmen, as depending on their backroom and decisions. Have you any plans to challenge that image?

You know, we do not depend on their backroom decisions. Eesti 200 proposed the personalized state concept from the first, and it is not a case of IT businessmen having created a party for themselves. Rather, they've lent us their support. Because they really believe that a personalized state is something Estonia should strive for.

It would constitute taking our digital state to a level other countries have not dared seek. That is why IT businessmen, like Priit Alamäe or indeed the Estonian startup scene, have supported us.

Secondly, Eesti 200 is very liberal both in terms of its values and economic openness. That has also given us the backing of entrepreneurs active on the startup scene, as they are interested in Estonia being open to the world.

Other businessmen have also donated to us. Urmas Sõõrumaa, for example...

Urmas Sõõrumaa donates to all parties...

It is very decent of him. It only becomes a problem when the money comes with political demands. We've had parties who have depended on a single entrepreneur for their funding. That single sponsor's political preferences then come with the money.

Unfortunately, businessman Joakim Helenius has gone as far as publishing Hendrik Terras' election platform in Delfi. It should not happen in politics that a single entrepreneur basically commissions policy. That said, there is nothing wrong with entrepreneurs backing a certain worldview.

Does that mean Hendrik Johannes Terras is a puppet of Joakim Helenius?

Their relationship is unclear to me. But it raised more than a few questions when Joakim Helenius published an economic platform and then called it Terras' program. It did not look good. I will have to ask Hendrik about it.

How many votes are you hoping to take at Eesti 200's August 31 election? Let's talk percentages.

That depends on how many people will show up for the general assembly.

What will become of Eesti 200 should the opposing candidate win?

Well, Hendrik has a platform based on which he has promised to run the party.

Are you prepared to be a member of a party the economic program of which was put together by Joakim Helenius?

There is nothing about that platform I would challenge as such. I agree with most things there. What I don't understand is why Helenius is doing it in the name of a chairman candidate.

I see no ideological odds between us. If the new leader can unite the party and people in the service of a shared goal, there is no reason to walk away or try to split it again.

I see no alternative for myself on the political landscape in any case. I will not be going anywhere. I have promised voters to represent this worldview, and that is precisely what I plan to do.

Having interviewed Mr. Terras a couple of times, I know how green he is. This is not a criticism, as we all have to start somewhere. But does it not feel to you that he is too young and inexperienced to run a party in such a difficult situation?

Running a coalition party in such a difficult situation surely requires experience. Both political experience and experience ruling. So, I have the upper hand there.

I have built up a party starting with a rating of 4 percent, while Hendrik has his strengths. He is good at facilitating teamwork and mobilizing the team. I believe that Hendrik and I will surely succeed in improving on the party's 4 percent rating.

What is Eesti 200's most acute problem? Is it people leaving its parliamentary and local council groups, seeing better opportunities in other parties?

No, our team is not falling apart. I see no fragmentation in the Riigikogu group or on the local level.

The first task of a leader is to develop in-house work processes. While the voter is not interested, Eesti 200's decision-making processes have been chaotic over the last year. Decisions get made somewhere, while some board, parliamentary group or local branch members do not understand where they originated. We need to sort out the everyday functioning of the party.

Secondly, Eesti 200's political positions need strong representation at the government level. I am critical of our recent efforts here. While we have been emotional and scrappy during cabinet deliberations, we have failed to explain to voters what Eesti 200 has stood for there.

In other words, you should emulate the Social Democrats' Lauri Läänemets who makes for a valued partner for journalists as he wants to comment on every topic and has managed to create for himself the image of in-house opposition leader?

There has been confrontation in that not everything the cabinet decides sits well with the Social Democrats.

Meanwhile, Eesti 200 has proposed several economic ideas, while they haven't been approved, and we're always told that we'll discuss these things next time. Time keeps slipping away, while we've always agreed to wait for that next time. But we shouldn't have done that.

The state of the economy is such that there is no more time to wait. We need to take these decisions. We should be stronger standing up for our ideas than we have been recently.

Have you considered joining the opposition? Or would that spell ending up like the Free Party?

We have considered it, and should the current government fail to take steps to deliver the Estonian economy, I really do believe Eesti 200 should ask itself why continue to support this government.

So as not leave things hanging in the air, which three omissions would cause you to quit the government?

We agreed on two major things One is attracting major business to Estonia, which requires a series of important steps, including shortening the planning process from five years to one.

The other thing is bringing skilled labor to Estonia. Many people do not like it, but it is necessary to ensure the competitiveness of the Estonian economy. Relevant proposals have been on the table for a while now.

If our coalition partners are not willing to do these things, I'm not sure whether we'll be able to climb out of the hole our economy finds itself in. Without those things, there will be little sense staying in this government.

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