Isamaa invites Reform Party to form ruling coalition in Tartu
Isamaa, which won Tartu's local elections Sunday, has invited the Reform Party to form a new ruling coalition, with talks set to begin Tuesday afternoon.
Isamaa's Tartu City Council group decided Monday to propose coalition talks with Reform, mayoral candidate Tõnis Lukas said on ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" Monday night.
Lukas said the party group had met to review discussions with all council groups except Eesti 200. They concluded the strongest and most capable city government could be built by Isamaa and Reform together.
"We took the initiative and proposed that the Reform Party join the city government," Lukas said, adding that Isamaa's election victory means the mayor's seat should go to them.
Tartu's current mayor, Urmas Klaas (Reform), has held the position since 2014.
Negotiations are scheduled to start Tuesday at 3 p.m. The first meeting will focus on the overall framework, timeline and priorities of the new governing program, Lukas said.
He added that Monday's brief talks with Reform touched on Tartu's master plan and school and kindergarten renovations.
Isamaa likewise already raised concerns about plans to house foreign prisoners in Tartu Prison, which Lukas said "has not been very thoroughly considered and should be reviewed."
Isamaa took 16 of the 49 seats on Tartu City Council in Sunday's local elections, followed by Reform with 15 and the Social Democrats (SDE) with eight. The Center Party won four seats, while Eesti 200 and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) each took three.
Kris Kärner unwelcome in Isamaa group
Lukas confirmed that Estonian YouTuber Kris Kärner, who ran on Isamaa's list and received the fourth-highest number of votes in the city, will not be part of Isamaa's city council group.
"He'll be going his own way on the council," he said.
Kärner left the Isamaa party in September after his social media posts calling for political violence surfaced. Despite this, he remained on the party's candidate list, even after regional chapter leaders urged him to withdraw.
At the Isamaa election party late Sunday night, Kärner said it was too soon to comment on his future relationship with the party. "Ultimately, it doesn't matter which party I belong to; I stand for myself and my voters, and that's exactly how it is," he said.
He has publicly apologized for his past statements, and described his actions as playing a character on social media.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Aili Vahtla
