Vote of no-confidence removes Narva mayor
Narva city council passed a motion of no-confidence in Mayor Tarmo Tammiste (Centre) on Friday, meaning he must vacate his post.
Mr Tammiste's position had been the subject of speculation since a large-scale defection of city councillors from the Centre Party last August, following corruption scandals in the city and in defiance of party leader, and prime minister, Jüri Ratas.
The defectors formed their own political grouping, called ''Our Home, Narva''.
21 of the total 31 deputies on the city council voted in favour of the motion, though ''Our Home, Narva'' reportedly abstained, citing violation of procedures. The 21 who voted in favour of the motion belong to another political group, this one called ''Hometown Narva''.
More concretely, Mr Tammiste was guilty of misusing contingency money to fund a performance arts centre and was angling for over €200,000 from city coffers to be used in Narva's European Capital of Culture bid, according to those voting for his removal, as well as taking a somewhat hands-off approach to city governance.
As expected, Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jevgrafov is set to serve as acting mayor until the appointment of a replacement for Mr Tammiste, which could include Mr Jevgrafov himself, as well as former Centre MP and Narva native Olga Ivanova.
Editor: Andrew Whyte