"We are already active on multiple levels. Local elections place the greatest focus on grassroots organization, which for us means our local branch structure, organized at the municipality level. I believe I've visited about half of the party's branches, meeting with people and discussing our plans," Helme told ERR.

"The main work right now is to determine who will be running in the upcoming elections. It's also clear that we'll be running everywhere under our own list, with our own name. We haven't ever entered local elections in electoral alliances, and we won't this time either," he added.

According to Helme, the party has also been working on media planning and budgeting. "We're still in the preparatory phase, so we can't yet lock in specific numbers, activities or dates at this point. We've also been testing our messaging," Helme noted.

Helme said there have been discussions about potential candidates and where they might run, though he couldn't yet reveal specific names. "For instance, there's the question of whether Mart Helme will run in Pärnu or Tallinn. Last time he ran in Tallinn, and the time before that in Pärnu. This has certainly been considered for the larger municipalities, but at this stage, we can't definitively name anyone," Helme stated.

However, Helme did confirm that as party chairman, he will run in the local elections in Tallinn. "Yes, I'm a Tallinn resident. I will run in Tallinn. But we haven't yet decided in which district," Helme said.

He added that the party plans to finalize its election program, main messages and the bulk of its candidate lists before summer. "But the candidate filing period opens in mid-September, so I'm sure there will be adjustments right up to the last moment," Helme added.

The local municipal council elections are scheduled for October 19 next year.

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