Ossinovski demanding Reinsalu's resignation
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDE) Jevgeni Ossinovski has proposed to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Centre) that he dismiss Urmas Reinsalu (Pro Patria) as Minister of Justice.
"Yesterday was a bad day for Estonia," Ossinovski said on Friday. "Submitting to an information attack orchestrated with the support of an array of false claims, the Pro Patria Party incapacitated the government and, with that, ushered us into Hungary and Poland's foreign policy club. For the Minister of Justice, this is a game in which one can occasionally be the 'bad guy.' For the Social Democrats, this is calling into question Estonia's reputation, which has been built up with 27 years of hard work, and its values. I'd like to acknowledge Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser (SDE) for his principledness in this matter. It is clear that the government cannot move forward the same way. This is why I have recommended that Jüri Ratas dismiss Minsiter of Justice Urmas Reinsalu (Pro Patria) from his position."
Reinsalu and Pro Patria chairman Helir-Valdor Seeder have not responded to ERR's calls.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser on Thursday brought the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), which has been at the centre of a great deal of controversy over the past week, before the government. While the Centre Party was prepared to support it, Pro Patria refused, and as the government reaches its decisions by consensus, the compact did not receive the Estonian government's approval.
Following the government meeting, Mikser told ERR that this essentially meant that the current Ratas-led government would not make any more significant decisions before the March 2019 elections, as trust between the three coalition parties had been broken.
Seeder: Disagreement not a crisis
Prior to Ossinovski's statement, Seeder had said that he did not believe that the tensions caused by the migration compact would lead to a government crisis.
"I can't tell at all that this would be a government crisis," Seeder said on Friday morning ahead of Ossinovki's statement, adding that it was a work situation in which coalition parties had different stances on the migration pact.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
