Katri Raik: Stalnuhhin's large vote count is a protest by Narva residents
Narva mayor Katri Raik, whose electoral alliance finished third in the municipal elections, said she will start coalition talks with former Center member Mihhail Stalnuhhin.
"Mihhail Stalnuhhin made a coalition negotiation proposal to our electoral alliance, and we will start coalition talks on Monday," Raik told ERR.
This came down to hard electoral facts, she noted.
Raik's electoral alliance cannot form a coalition with the Center Party, as this would not meet the required 16 seats needed for a majority at the 31-seat council.
"Mathematics doesn't allow us to think further in that direction," Raik said.
Furthermore, there were not any major political sticking points, on the basis of the Stalnuhhin list platform, she added.
"If we compare our electoral alliance's program with Stalnuhhin's, there is nothing alarming there. Everyone understands that the city has no money, and all the funds that come must come from outside the city — from European Union projects and from the state. We'll see whether we can ultimately find common ground or not," Raik continued.
Raik was unable to say when the Narva coalition negotiations might yield results. "It certainly won't be today. We're both meeting with our factions. The first consultations are coming up. We're only just entering the negotiation process," Raik said. The electoral success of Stalnuhhin's list comes down to a protest vote by Narva residents, against poor living conditions, Raik added.
"People are worried about making ends meet. The government's decisions have been unpopular among locals: I have to mention the loss of voting rights for Russian citizens and citizens of third countries, as well as the transition to Estonian-language education. These are two issues that are very close to the hearts of local people. It comes up in every street conversation," the mayor continued.
The Mihhail Stalnuhhin's rahvanimekiri ("People's List") won 12 seats, followed by 10 seats for Center, and five for Raik's list.
The Center Party ejected Stalnuhhin in September 2022 after he referred to the prime minister and governing coalition, which did not include Center itself, as "nazis" due to their removal of Soviet-era statues, war memorials and other installations dating to the Soviet occupation of Estonia.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Mari Peegel
