Ossinovski: Ratas credibility taking a blow as he cleans up after EKRE

Jevgeni Ossinovski and Jüri Ratas were partners in the previous government coalition.
Jevgeni Ossinovski and Jüri Ratas were partners in the previous government coalition. Source: Anna Aurelia Minev/ERR

In the current political situation and division in society, it is the credibility of Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Centre) that has suffered the most, said Social Democratic Party (SDE) chairman Jevgeni Ossinovski.

"The only one whose credibility has been called seriously into question during the time since the election is Prime Minister Jüri Ratas," Ossinovski said. "He and his party mates promised us that once the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) joined the government, it would be tamed. That the responsibility of the government would normalize their actions and rhetoric. I suspected from the outset that things might go this way, but I took it as the prime minister's readiness to defend Estonia from members of his own government."

As this has not been the case, Ossinovski sees that it isn't so much EKRE's leading politicians as it is Ratas to blame for the current situation in Estonia.

"Jüri spends morning to night sweeping up like a straw broom after EKRE men," the former minister commented. "He gets the room cleaned up by evening, but by the next morning, filthy piles have appeared in the corners once again. Of course I feel sorry for him. Honestly. But if the head of government won't take control of the situation in their own cabinet, then that is precisely where the credibility issue should be squared."

Commenting on the Reform Party's plan to launch a motion of no confidence against Minister of the Interior Mart Helme, Ossinovski said that EKRE's values and the resulting use of language work against Estonia's national interests, which is why the party is unfit to govern the state.

"That is why I have called upon other parties who respect the basic principles of the democratic rule of law to rule out cooperation with them," he said. "[Mart and Martin Helme] are now in the government, despite promises to the contrary. And they are doing exactly as they promised to do there: dismantle, divide, shout and demean. This cannot possibly come as a surprise to anyone."

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Editor: Aili Vahtla

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