SDE chief whip opposes former mayor's new coalition in Narva
The chairman of the Social Democratic Party's Riigikogu faction, Priit Lomp, does not support a coalition being formed in Narva by party board member Katri Raik with Mihhail Stalnuhhin. According to Lomp, he hopes to hear clarifications on this matter at the board meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
"I certainly do not support the formation of such a coalition and would not personally engage in it," Priit Lomp told ERR.
He emphasized that this is not a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party itself, but rather a coalition led by an individual who is a member of the party. "This choice is not being made by the Social Democrats, but by an electoral alliance, which happens to include one Social Democrat," Lomp said.
"I believe that Narva, especially under the leadership of Katri Raik, adheres to the law, but I do not agree with any of Stalnuhhin's positions," Lomp stated.
According to Lomp, the Social Democrats have no authority to influence Raik's actions in this matter, but he still wishes to hear explanations about the coalition being formed at the Social Democrats' board meeting on Tuesday.
"We can discuss this. We can offer recommendations to individual members who are part of local councils, but ultimately, local people make their own choices," Lomp said.
"I hope to hear the board's stance during the meeting. Perhaps we can get explanations and answers from Katri as well and gain clarity on whether this coalition will even be formed," Lomp added.
Mihhail Stalnuhhin has previously stated that those who remove monuments dedicated to Soviet soldiers are Nazis and referred to the previous government led by Kaja Kallas as fascists. Current Social Democratic Party leader Lauri Läänemets served as minister of the interior in that same government.
Stalnuhhin was expelled from the Center Party in 2022 due to his controversial views.
On Friday, Katri Raik told ERR that she is moving forward with forming a coalition in Narva with Mihhail Stalnuhhin. In the proposed coalition, Raik would serve as the mayor and Stalnuhhin as the chair of the city council. Raik noted that while she does not share Stalnuhhin's views on the war in Ukraine or the Estonian government, an alliance with him appeared more stable and reliable compared to alternatives such as the Center Party's Jaan Toots and Aleksei Jevgrafov.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Marcus Turovski
