Opposition preparing for no-confidence vote against prime minister

The leaders of Estonia's three main opposition parties, Mihhail Kõlvart (Center), Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) and Martin Helme (EKRE) consider it important to work together on the vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) and draft the corresponding text together. The motion is likely to reach the chamber of the Riigikogu in two weeks.
Several weeks ago, the Center Party proposed a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Kristen Michal. The move was prompted by the events surrounding the appointment of the new state secretary.
"That was the catalyst. The bigger reasons are, of course, economic policy, energy and the lack of policy on energy. Now that we see nothing is changing in an appropriate direction in the energy field, that is an additional signal. I see that there is no contradiction in the messages of the opposition," Kõlvart told ERR.
Kõlvart, who is not currently a member of the Riigikogu himself, said that the Center Party's parliamentary group has already drafted a draft text of the motion of no confidence, and that it has been presented to the other opposition parties for signatures to be collected.
Isamaa Chair Urmas Reinsalu said on Thursday that his party Isamaa wants a vote of no-confidence in the government because the agreements made by the coalition and the directions it has chosen for the energy sector are a burden on Estonia's people and businesses.
Reinsalu told ERR on Friday that Isamaa does not intend to draft a separate text against the prime minister, but will cooperate with other opposition parties.
"Certainly, I think it is appropriate that the text of the vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Michal should be a single one, and all the opposition forces will in all likelihood cooperate in technical terms on the content of this one text, which will reflect these criticisms of the prime minister," Reinsalu said.
EKRE leader Martin Helme, confirmed his party will not abstain from supporting the no-confidence motion.
"We were in favor of the idea of this vote of no confidence right from the start. For our part, we simply have a whole range of issues to add to this question surrounding the secretary of state. Energy is undoubtedly one of them, and that is a very weighty issue. But in our view the prime minister actually deserves a vote of no confidence because of Nordica as well. There is also the issue that we have a political culture in which Jürgen Ligi before, and Kristen Michal after him, simply grossly insult the female members of the Riigikogu and, when it comes to outrage, that insult is extended to the entire parliamentary opposition. These are all things that have been piling up. It is no secret that from the very beginning we have not supported Michal as prime minister or the current government," Helme said.
"We certainly support the motion of no confidence in the same way. And it's no surprise that we have to do this together, because done individually, no opposition party has the votes to initiate it alone," Helme said.
The opposition leaders said they thought it likely that, with the Riigikogu not due to meet next week, the no-confidence motion would reach the chamber for proceedings the week after.
Michal: The EKRE- Isamaa-Center (EKREIKE) group is back together again
Prime Minister Kristen Michal commented on the news that opposition parties plan to launch a vote of no confidence in him on social media.
"Values and views, just like their members, are shared. Now Helme is complaining about insults, Kõlvart is talking about defending Estonia's statehood, and Reinsalu is saying that it is necessary to start making a plan to decide. O tempora, o mores!"
"The real background is, of course, that the leading party of EKREIKE has taken an executive decision to put a halt to all renewable energy developments across Estonia and prevent them from moving forward in any way. We will have to have a debate, I think there is space and a need for both wind and nuclear energy in Estonia," Michal added.
According to Michal, the main debate in the upcoming local elections seems to be whether it is possible to build anything at all in Estonia in the future: trams, manufacturing, wind or nuclear, or if there is a group of vocal figures everywhere, who are against everything and the rest should just patiently listen to their conspiracy theories.
"I accept the gauntlet thrown down by EKREIKE and say that I will stand with the government to ensure that Estonia does not sink into darkness, that new production is created and new technology can be harnessed by enterprising people in a land of free citizens for a more prosperous and better future," said the prime minister. "I look forward to a substantive debate in the Riigikogu," Michal concluded.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Michael Cole