"Two sentences on how ending the coalition was justified so that the Reform Party and Eesti 200 could pursue right-wing policy," Läänemets told journalists when leaving Stenbock House.

According to Läänemets, another reason for the government's collapse was the Reform Party's low ratings.

"And that was the only plan — they felt they had to do something. That was the only plan Kristen Michal could come up with. /.../ If this is the solution for Estonia, then so be it."

Läänemets repeatedly stated that, in addition to Kristen Michal, the plan to oust the Social Democrats from the government was also driven by recently appointed State Secretary Keit Kasemets.

"The decision to remove the Social Democrats from the government was made by Kristen Michal and Keit Kasemets together. Eesti 200 said today that they made this decision about three weeks ago," Läänemets said.

"The state secretary should be neutral and should not decide who is in the government and who is not," the SDE chairman said. "But in this case, we are dealing with two best friends and Kristen Michal's most trusted confidant."

According to Läänemets, changing coalition partners is a perfectly democratic process, but it is not good for Estonia if it is done by two friends without even involving the Reform Party's leadership.

"If you are the state secretary, you have decision-making power over the entire public sector. If you start acting like a politician in this role, public sector staffing decisions will begin to favor one party. /.../ It is problematic if secretaries general and deputy secretaries general start to realize that their position depends on whether they are loyal to a particular party or not. That is why personal friendships at the top of the government are an issue. And if you lack ideas and start panicking over approval ratings, that is also concerning. But in opposition, we will have the opportunity to offer ideas and support," Läänemets promised.

Läänemets summed up the Social Democrats' removal from the government as "a stab in the back." He also noted that while Kaja Kallas stood by her coalition partners even in difficult times, Kristen Michal acted differently.

The Social Democratic Party had four ministers in the government, whose dismissal Michal will present to the president on Tuesday morning. The Reform Party and Eesti 200 have 52 supporting votes in the Riigikogu.

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