MP: Center Party could win absolute majority in Tallinn

Riigikogu member Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart believes the Center Party could win a majority in Tallinn in the local elections later this year, despite poor poll ratings.
The latest Norstat survey put the party's level of support at 15 percent this week. But Kovalenko-Kõlvart is still optimistic.
"If we look at support over recent weeks, we see that our support among Estonian voters has grown significantly. It did decline at one point, but now it has risen thanks to Estonian voters," she said on Wednesday's "Otse uudistemajast" online broadcast.
She attributed the results to the growing perception that the party is a key force in the opposition.
"Another factor is the Tallinn City Council. In the council, the Center Party is the largest opposition party and has highly skilled specialists. We can see that the party's ratings in Tallinn have also risen significantly," Kovalenko-Kõlvart noted.
The politician is confident Center will win the elections in Tallinn in October and sees no reason why it cannot gain an absolute majority. At the elections in 2021, the party received the most votes but narrowly missed out on a majority.
"The question is only by how much, but at this point, I see all the conditions for the Center Party to achieve the best result," the MP said.

Kovalenko-Kõlvart said she is likely to run in the Põhja Tallinn–Haabersti–Kesklinn district as she did four years ago.
Economy must be boosted before defense spending rise
Speaking about Prime Minister Kristen Michal's proposal to allocate 5 percent of Estonia's GDP on defense in the coming years, Kovalenko-Kõlvart said the best way to do this is to boost the economy.
Center has discussed the idea, but members do not see how it is feasible.
Michal said that no new taxes are planned but Kovalenko-Kõlvart is skeptical.
"The prime minister previously said that tax festival was over, but as we see, the tax festival has continued," she told the show.
"The Center Party believes that the greatest opportunity to increase defense spending lies in economic growth and development, as this would provide the means to cover such expenses. As long as our economy continues to decline, it will become increasingly difficult to talk about a sharp rise in defense spending," the politician explained.
Center Party Chairman Mihhail Kõlvart echoed the same view earlier today.
Kovalenko-Kõlvart also criticized Michal for presenting the 5 percent plan without consulting with other members of the coalition.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Helen Wright
Source: Otse uudistemajast, interview by Aleksander Krjukov