Expert: Estonian Social Democrats Set New Bar in Recruiting Political Talent
The Social Democratic Party of Estonia (SDE) has played the strongest card in recruiting new talent by signing up Jonatan Vseviov, ERR foreign policy journalist Mirko Ojakivi says. He believes Vseviov has a realistic chance of becoming the next prime minister.
Jonatan Vseviov has a realistic chance of becoming Estonia's next prime minister, and the Social Democratic Party (SDE) has played the strongest card of any party seeking fresh political talent. That is the assessment of Mirko Ojakivi, a foreign policy journalist at Estonia's public broadcaster ERR. The question matters because parties are positioning themselves ahead of the next elections and looking for convincing candidates for top posts.
An American-style launch
Ojakivi said Vseviov's announcement that he was joining the Social Democrats had a distinctly American feel: supporters stood behind him while he set out his political ambitions. Some voters may find such a presentation unsettling, especially as U.S. President Donald Trump is not especially popular at the moment. Still, the journalist believes Estonians are growing used to American-style campaigning. He also noted a wider tendency for parties to adopt sharper positions than they actually hold in order to attract attention, and to deliver their messages more forcefully.
Ojakivi acknowledged that the presentation may have seemed inappropriate for a Social Democratic politician because of its resemblance to Trump's style. A more fundamental question, he said, is whether Vseviov can connect with the party's traditional electorate. Politicians he has spoken to pointed to possible difficulty in appealing to the ordinary voters once associated with former Social Democratic leader Ivari Padar, a group that has long since drifted away from the party.
Timing and competition
On timing, Ojakivi said the party's position differs from that of the Center Party and Isamaa, which have long held the top two places in the party ratings of the Institute for Societal Studies and Norstat. The Social Democrats need to catch up, he said. According to his information, surveys commissioned by parties themselves suggest SDE support is approaching the level of those two. The aim is to be among the top three contenders when the campaign begins in earnest.
Ojakivi said Vseviov could become prime minister, though competition for the post is fierce, with several other potential contenders. He also pointed to a broader trend: parties have repeatedly had to look beyond their own ranks, and for the presidency, the defense minister's post or now the Social Democrats' potential prime ministerial candidate, they have increasingly turned to senior civil servants rather than established politicians.
