Does Reform's support for free kindergartens align them with the Center Party?

Coalition leader Reform and opposition party Center both issued press releases early in the morning of last Monday (June 2) calling for the abolition of fees for kindergarteners, young learners aged up to seven. The timing of the press releases, calling for the same policy, led to accusations of collusion. However, Reform's deputy mayor, Pärtel-Peeter Pere, denied any alignment, stressing the long-standing nature of the proposal and the need for coalition votes, not opposition support. Center leader and former Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart denied secret negotiations, adding that if a power vacuum arises, Center would be ready to lead Tallinn, even before this October's local elections.

Center with 34 seats in the 79-seat Tallinn City Council, and Reform with its 15 seats, together have enough for a majority (of 49) on Tallinn council.

The current coalition of Reform, SDE (nine seats), Isamaa (seven) and Eesti 200 (six) is a minority coalition with 37 mandates.

Additionally, in opposition are the six Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) councilors, and two former Center Party deputies.

What is the main issue at stake?

The issue at the heart of the rift is that the Reform Party (in coalition) and the Center Party (in opposition) want to make kindergartens in Tallinn free of charge. Currently, monthly fees are €50 per child, reduced from €71 in April. Reform wants to include this in the ongoing supplementary budget, which totals €8.2 million, with €1.5 million earmarked for emergency shelters. The cost to the city of abolishing kindergarten fees is estimated at €3 million for September to December this year, given that kindergartens will be off for summer.

The question is whether this will be included in the budget, which also includes funding for nursing home care, education projects, urban landscaping, and road work. Reform's coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SDE), Eesti 200, and Isamaa, are not opposed to the policy but are unhappy with how Reform acted unilaterally.

They have suggested postponing the decision. Deputy Mayor Alexei Jašin (Eesti 200) said Reform had discussed the issue for a year and a half, but it was only raised recently, and seen as part of an election strategy – despite no mention of it when the draft supplementary budget was adopted last month.

How will this issue impact the upcoming local elections?

The proposal to abolish kindergarten fees comes just ahead of the local elections in October, raising questions about its timing as a potential sweetener to voters.

Center was in power in Tallinn, mostly on its own, for nearly 20 years until the current coalition entered office in April 2024, and there have been fears raised of a return to office for Center in the capital, even with the Reform Party. These concerns mainly relate to charges of corruption, and also to Center being seen as the "Russian" party.

The current makeup of city council deputies is listed above, but this will naturally likely change after the October 19 election, so all parties, in particular larger parties like Center and Reform, are looking to strengthen their positions ahead of that election.

Another factor to bear in mind is that Center has been hit with a million-euro fine in respect of the so-called Porto Franco case ruling, which will hamper the party's ability to campaign ahead of election day.

What are the latest developments in the ongoing debate?

The public debate is unfolding, but started in mid-May, when Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) accused Reform of aligning with the Center Party, not long before the supplementary budget was approved.

On June 2, both Reform and Center called for abolishing kindergarten fees. Last week, SDE launched its "Everyone Counts!" slogan and proposed making the abolition a national issue, with €22 million in funding.

This week, coalition partners attempted to reach an agreement, planning to negotiate until Thursday's vote to preserve the alliance. Isamaa, SDE, and Eesti 200 claimed a deal had been made to pause the supplementary budget for a month to find funding, but Pere denied this, urging the issue to move forward.

Mayor Ossinovski said the kindergarten fee abolition would cost €9 million next year, given it would cost €3 million for the last four months of 2025.

On Thursday, June 12, the coalition decided to postpone the decision to July 21. This will require a session to be convened on an extraordinary basis, as the city council will have gone on its summer recess by then.

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