Free Party, Estonian Greens exploring common ground
The Free Party and the Estonian Greens began talks on Friday to find out where their objectives and political aims may be a good fit, and to discuss ways of working together with a view to potentially run on joint lists in the next local polls in two years.
Although neither of the two parties is currently in parliament, both are already preparing for the next local elections in 2021. Free Party chairman, Kaul Nurm, and deputy chairwoman Elo Lutsepp met with Greens chairwoman, Züleyxa Izmailova, and chairman of the party's board, Aleksander Laane on Friday.
The two parties successfully cooperated in the last local polls in the Tartu Heaks election coalition. The talks now started on Friday aim to find out what the possibilities for a similar cooperation would be in the next local elections in 2021.
Important topics that are already part of both parties' platforms include climate issues as well as broader environmental issues, among others farming and forestry, renewable energy, waste management and the circular economy, ERR's Estonian online news wrote on Saturday.
Other areas where the parties have certain approaches and views in common are cooperative business as well as their stance on the Rail Baltica project.
Topics previously associated more clearly with the Free Party, such as democratic government, the concept of a "connected state" with greater democratic pluralism and less centrally organized politics and administration, a greater role for local communities, and other aspects of regional policy are also compatible with the Estonian Greens' political direction.
The two parties decided that they will form topical workgroups to continue working on common positions.
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Editor: Dario Cavegn