On Wednesday morning, SDE chairman and Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets said the party's board does not support Raik's plan. But it cannot stop it either.

Stalnuhhin has made anti-government statements in the past and is critical of Estonian language education reforms introduced this year. He has already stood down from running for council chairman over comments criticizing the government he made this week.

In response to Läänemets's comments, Raik told ERR: "There are 31 members on the council, I am the only Social Democrat, I am also the only Estonian on the council. I understand my colleagues' doubts and hesitations, but I think that Estonian society has somehow gone off the rails, and I am worried about the rift between Estonians and Russians in Estonia. This position of the social democrats is indicative of a rather painful situation in our society, and that is why I should be concerned."

She continued: "The board discussed at length, there were arguments for and against. I am absolutely satisfied with the debate itself and its tone. The board made a decision, I was holding a political faction meeting at the time. I take note of that, but we are not dealing with the SDE faction here. We have a peculiar composition of the council in that sense. We have one Social Democrat, one member of Eesti 200 and then five Center Party members in Mihhail Stalnuhhin's wing and five Center Party members under Aleksei Jevgrafov. I have really only read today's news on the diagonal. Dear friends, come to Narva, create party factions here, do something. It's easy to criticize, but it's very difficult to do anything."

Raik stressed she is not upset by the board's decision or members' reactions. "No, I'm not disappointed, I've just taken note of it," he said.

Asked if the reaction may have been so strong because she is a long-term, senior member of SDE and its board, she said: "Let's deal with things in the order of priority, so to speak, dealing with the Narva coalition first. And then I will have time to take decisions concerning SDE."

"It is also possible for a party to throw me out. [But] the party cannot do that, because I have not really done anything wrong. What am I wrong about? Mihhail Stalnuhhin is a freely elected councilor. If he had done something criminal or against the state, he should be dealt with by state authorities. So I really do not understand what I have done wrong in the eyes of Estonian law. The fact that Mihhail Stalnuhhin and SDE have different values is something that I have also emphasized several times in recent days. It is possible to kick me out of the party. At the moment, at the pace at which I am living, I do not really have time to think through what I think is the right thing to do in relation to the SDE, and I think that nothing will happen to the SDE today. Please take it out on me, leave the Social Democrats alone," Raik said.

The politician said she has not "seriously considered" leaving the party.

"But of course, if this discussion goes on for long, it is also a way of pulling the party out of the fire and pulling myself out of the fire. But I would prefer that this decision be taken by the party. I believe that there is a plurality of opinions in Estonia and that we must be able to cooperate with all people. I'm trying to work with an exceptionally difficult partner at the moment, I would expect support, especially from the Estonian public, rather than endless criticism," said Raik.

There are also no other options for forming a coalition, she said, ruling out the Center Party and its Narva faction leader Aleksei Jevgrafov is unreliable.

"More than a year ago, he threw us overboard himself when the coalition agreement was signed. He is not a reliable partner. That is the most important thing. And second. People were sacked from that faction with the threat that if they did not come [to vote], they would lose their jobs. To me this is influence peddling and absolutely unacceptable. And thirdly, when you are shouted at at the negotiating table, it is very difficult to find the motivation to go there any more," said Raik.

Raik will meet with Stalnuhhin and council member Tatjana Stolfat again today to discuss cooperation and seek clarification.

The vote for the chairman of the council in Narva council will take place on Thursday.

"I've been in Narva politics for so long that I know that nothing will be clear before tomorrow's vote for the chairman of the Narva City Council," Raik said.

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