On Monday morning, four of you made the joint announcement that you are leaving the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK) party. This came as quite the surprise to the public.

Yes, to the public, maybe, but not quite so unexpected within the party board. Because we've discussed these problems at length at various meetings. Unfortunately, no one listened to us. That was the situation, and it seemed as though there was no common path left to walk with the party. So, we decided to leave.

What were the problems you discussed at length but weren't listened to about?

Without a doubt the biggest problem was that while I and others were founding a right-wing national conservative party, a certain group managed to blur its ideology and objectives to the point that I often found myself wondering what party I was actually in.

Secondly, daily management practices. A backroom mentality; a lack of transparency. Forcing certain decisions through even when the majority was opposed. Then people were taken aside one by one and persuaded. In other words, the entire unusual and not very pleasant atmosphere.

Unfortunately also the lack of funding. This is also undoubtedly very important for the party to be able to operate, function and organize various events and campaigns. So far, no one has managed to secure a single such significant donor and donation. This markedly hinders the party's activity. The reasons for not wanting to donate are the same – people don't understand what or whom the party represents.

Has Silver Kuusik not succeeded in his role as party chair?

Silver Kuusik is a capable organizer and active young man, but he has been under the influence of the circles that from the very beginning have been dragging the party somewhere leftward. And been successful at it. It's as a result of their actions that I didn't run for party chair either.

Unfortunately, it's clear that that's where the party's development really stalled. No new members have joined since the [party] congress. The party has been led and directed by people who themselves have no prior political party experience, and they've drafted the founding documents too.

Some political observers have predicted that sooner or later, this party will merge with the Center Party. That since Jaak Madison moved from the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) to the Center Party, then sooner or later ERK and the Center Party will tie the knot too.

No, I don't believe that at all. ERK certainly doesn't share any common ground with the Center Party.

Madison's decision to join the Center Party was met with great confusion. And to this day, even I'm certain that what hopes he had when joining [them] won't materialize. It was the wrong move, and sooner or later I'm sure he'll realize that too.

But I find it hard to believe that ERK would merge with the Center Party.

When you left EKRE, a lot of people were surprised that you decided to form a new party. Founding a new party alongside EKRE is extremely difficult, if not impossible. And now, just a few months later, you've realized it was futile.

No, I don't think it was a hopeless endeavor from the start. If we look at national conservative parties, there were only two – EKRE and Isamaa. The Center Party is in some ways more conservative now than it was before, and is moving in that direction. But it cannot be considered a national Estonian party; only three percent of its supporters are Estonians.

On the other, liberal end, there's a whole slew of parties – there's the Reform Party, there's the Social Democrats (SDE), there's Eesti 200, there's Parempoolsed, the Greens and so on. Saying that there should be fewer parties on the national conservative side is simply not true! And we had been hoping to position ourselves somewhere between EKRE and Isamaa.

EKRE has painted itself into a corner with its aggressiveness, unwillingness to cooperate and attacks on everyone. Isamaa is too timid in some areas; in some areas, they could be much more conservative.

We had hoped to carve out a spot between the two. Maybe someday in the future, five or ten years from now, when the young, idealistic men of ERK, full of determination, can steer the party in the right direction. Especially once Jaak Valge has stepped down from the [party] board.

Name the specific people you're dissatisfied with.

I'll name one – Jaak Valge. And his supporters, whom he managed to manipulate and influence. Who argued that we must be a niche party. Who believed that the party doesn't necessarily need to have its own views, nevermind state them. That the party shouldn't oppose anyone and should try to please everyone.

Which is, quite frankly, a completely absurd stance. A party must have views, and it must state them. If we're attacked for this, or someone expresses different views, then we must defend our values and challenge others'.

Did you and Jaak Valge immediately clash horns after founding the party?

More or less, yes. Honestly, it caught me off guard, because we had shared a common worldview, and I've known him for years. But the shift was quite abrupt, somehow, and he found supporters and that's how things unfolded.

And with the current situation, I see no chance of remaining in this party. Every project has a moment of truth – about whether it will succeed or not. You can't keep pushing indefinitely, using up time, resources and money.

I don't have time to wait years to see if this party will still amount to anything or not. I want to stand for Estonia and act at all times. This was a crossroads.

My views haven't changed; I'm still a national conservative and defender of traditional values. Since it unfortunately wasn't possible to pursue this within the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives party anymore, I now need to explore new opportunities. After all, I am in the Riigikogu, and I have ample opportunity to act.

Does this mean that sooner or later you'll have to join another party?

It's a bit too soon to say. I don't have an answer for that right now. I'll obviously need to consider and weigh all the options before making the best choice.

You're not going back to Martin Helme?

No, absolutely not. EKRE has unfortunately been painted into a corner by the Helme family. There's no democracy to speak of there; it's a family-run party. With completely autocratic leadership, where no one has a say, and they've managed to make opponents or enemies out of all the other parties. They belittle everyone and don't want to work together with anyone. EKRE has no future prospects in this state.

Although the ideology and goals, the entire platform are actually very good – particularly as I was the one who wrote them. But unfortunately, as it stands, EKRE has no chance of taken on a governing role. If they're unwilling to work with anyone, no one will want to work with them either.

So your choice is between Isamaa and Parempoolsed?

My options are quite slim. People have approached me, sounded me out and invited me. We'll see. If I believe I can accomplish more within a particular party, I'll make that choice. Another option is to remain independent.

So essentially, the crux of the entire matter is that the party you left is controlled by a gray eminence – Jaak Valge – who is steering the game through his loyal followers. In other words, is ERK Jaak Valge's party?

That's been the case thus far. But not anymore, because many people's eyes have been opened. Jaak Valge has now also resigned from the board.

But that's not enough anymore. At least not for the foreseeable future, because the party has – how do I put this – the party has suffered irreversible damage. It seems unlikely for the foreseeable future that this party will be able to gain enough public support and increase its membership enough to have a shot at being elected to the Riigikogu.

If ERK falls below the election threshold, that will actually cause considerable damage to the conservative wing. Because those votes will all be split and will for the most part go to liberal parties. This is very worrying.

That said, there are indeed good, honest and capable people with national conservative views [in ERK] whose eyes have also been opened now. And who continue to stand for this worldview. I hope they succeed in building up the party. I wish them well and thank them for their cooperation. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to wait that long.

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