Estonia's Reform Party and Parempoolsed gain ground in September polls
A new Emor and ERR poll shows support for Estonia's ruling Reform Party climbing to 15 percent while non-parliamentary Parempoolsed hit an all-time high of 10 percent, as the Center Party's rating fell for a fourth straight month.
Estonia's Reform Party, led by Prime Minister Kristen Michal, saw its support rise to 15 percent in the September Emor and ERR poll, marking its best result in more than a year. That follows 13 percent in August and a record low of 10 percent in May.
Emor research expert Aivar Voog said the party has drawn significant media attention recently, much of it critical, including coverage of arms procurement issues. He noted the recovery is particularly visible among older voters, though the polling data does not establish that media coverage caused the rise in support.
Parempoolsed, which is not represented in parliament, posted its best-ever result in September at 10 percent, up from 7 percent in August.
Center Party's slide continues
Isamaa and the Center Party saw the sharpest month-on-month declines. Isamaa's support stood at 24 percent in September and the Center Party's at 17 percent, both down 2 percentage points from August. Voog said the Center Party's rating has now fallen for four consecutive months, and accounting for the margin of error, it is effectively tied with the Social Democratic Party for second and third place.
The Social Democrats polled at 17 percent in September, down slightly from 18 percent in August, putting them level with the Center Party, which stood at 22 percent as recently as June. EKRE ranked fifth with 13 percent, up 1 point. Eesti 200 had 2 percent, while the Greens, ERK and Koos each recorded 1 percent.
Support for Riigikogu opposition parties combined stood at 71 percent, down from 74 percent in August, while coalition parties rose to 17 percent from 15 percent.
The share of undecided respondents grew to 30 percent, with the increase concentrated among non-ethnic Estonians. Including undecided voters, Isamaa led overall, and it also led among ethnic Estonian respondents, while the Center Party held a clear lead among non-ethnic Estonian respondents. Emor surveyed 1,535 voting-age citizens online and by phone from September 14-23, with a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points.
