Center has long been the most popular party in Tallinn and former Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart the most popular politician. The party lost its majority after the last election in 2021 but quickly formed a coalition with SDE. It was voted out of office last year, with Reform, SDE, Isamaa and Eesti 200 forming a coalition without the party.

Mart Kallas, chairman of the opposition EKRE faction, said it is too early to make decisions.

"As the opposition, we are currently cooperating in the usual way, but that does not mean we are permanently aligned. We are open to everyone. Right now, it is too early to discuss this because the future of the Center Party is uncertain, and the local elections are still eight months away. We will see after the elections," he said.

Only one coalition party has ruled out working with Center – Eesti 200.

Aleksei Jašin, head of the party's Tallinn faction and deputy mayor, told ERR agreed on Sunday that Center – led by former mayor Mihhail Kõlvart – is not a party they want to cooperate with.

"The party has been criminally convicted. Therefore, we see no possibility for cooperation and rule it out. While [then-mayor] Mihhail Kõlvart was not in court, and it was the party's then-secretary general Mihhail Korb who was on trial, such things cannot happen in Tallinn without the mayor's knowledge. That is clear to us," said Jašin.

But coalition partners Reform, SDE, and Isamaa have not ruled out cooperation.

Riina Solman, head of Isamaa's Tallinn branch, said the court ruling against the Center Party is a major concern for them.

"This conviction was one of the reasons why the new coalition was formed in Tallinn. We do not want to go back to that kind of governance. My personal preference is for a broader-based coalition because it better represents different voters and their preferences. I also appreciate that the current city government has a strong spirit of cooperation," she said.

Madle Lippus, head of SDE's Tallinn branch and deputy mayor, said the vedict was already handed down last spring. SDE later left the coalition with Center.

"We made our judgment nearly a year ago, after the district court ruling, which was a key reason why the coalition ended," she said.

Lippus said the court decision makes it morally difficult to consider cooperation with the Center Party.

"Ultimately, it will certainly have an impact. It will be an important factor when we start choosing our partners after the elections," she said when asked if the Center conviction would influence the SDE's post-election decisions.

Pärtel-Peeter Pere, head of the Reform Party's Tallinn branch and deputy mayor, said that for his party, it is crucial that the capital is governed honestly and transparently.

"If voters give us a mandate in the fall, we will start negotiations with parties that share these same values," he said.

Pere also expressed disappointment with Kõlvart's response to the court ruling.

"I do not know whether Mihhail Kõlvart will take responsibility or attempt to run for mayor despite the circumstances. His attacks on the Supreme Court and his claim that the ruling was unjust are disappointing. Voters will make their decision, and hopefully, they will see through this Savisaar-like martyrdom narrative," he said.

On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the Tallinn District Court's decision from March last year, which found the Center Party, its former secretary general Mihhail Korb, and businessman Hillar Teder guilty of influence peddling. The Center Party was fined €750,000, which, combined with an earlier unpaid penalty, resulted in a total fine of €1 million.

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