On December 31, Simson announced that she had decided to leave the Center Party, having been a member since 1995. Simson put the decision down to the desire of the leadership to turn the party into something unfamiliar to her.

"They are trying to steer the party in a direction which I feel deeply uncomfortable about. I am thinking in particular of the Eurosceptic and conservative line," Simson said.

According to Kõlvart, Simson made it clear some time ago that she was not happy with what was happening inside the Center Party.

"This news was not really unexpected, as Kadri had long since made it clear that she was not happy with the party leadership and what was happening in the Center Party., or what the Center Party intends to do. She did not want to participate in these processes herself. She had also not paid a great deal of interest in the Center Party recently. Only critical comments. So in fact, she had long since indicated that she intended to leave the party," Kõlvart said, adding that Simson had been telling some of her party colleagues about her intention to leave for a year.

Although a number of prominent politicians have left the Center Party since Kõlvart was elected leader in September 2023, Kõlvart did not agree that there was a crisis.

"Some politicians have left the party. But at the moment, we don't have any kind of crisis because our support is growing. New members are joining. We have a clear vision of what to do and where we are going. And [Simson's] decision is not news to us, so there is nothing to do there. Rather, the party is moving forward and developing," Kõlvart said.

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