Estonia's Eesti 200 rejects merger with the Greens
Eesti 200, a member of Estonia's governing coalition, has decided not to open talks on merging with the Estonian Greens before the next parliamentary election. The party's poll ratings are very low.
The council of delegates of Eesti 200, a party in Estonia's governing coalition, on Sunday rejected the idea of merging with the Estonian Greens ahead of the next Riigikogu, the Estonian parliament, election. The decision comes as the party is polling far below the threshold needed to enter parliament.
Eesti 200's communications manager, Johannes Merilai, announced the decision after the council meeting. He said that until now the party had considered consultations with the Greens possible, but its position is now that such talks will not begin. Merilai noted that the Greens' policies differ from those of Eesti 200 and that a merger would add nothing new to the party's core platform of progressive and liberal views. In his words, the Greens hold firm positions on some issues, but it is unclear whether combining the two parties would bring any benefit.
Participation in the election undecided
The Sunday meeting did not discuss whether Eesti 200 will run in the spring Riigikogu election. Merilai said there is still time to decide and no need to rush. According to him, the party is preparing for the vote and intends to field a full list of candidates, but no final decision on running was made.
MPs stepping aside
Toomas Uibo, chair of the Eesti 200 parliamentary group, said on social media last Thursday that he does not intend to run in the next Riigikogu election. His party colleague Irja Lutsar announced the same plans in July. Three and a half months ago, party leader Kristina Kallas had assured that, as far as she knew, all Eesti 200 members of the Riigikogu were ready to stand again.
Low ratings
At the previous election Eesti 200 entered the Riigikogu for the first time and won 14 seats at once, but its popularity is now extremely low. In the latest poll by the research company Norstat, only 1.2% of respondents backed it. In a September Emor poll commissioned by ERR, Eesti 200 stood at 1.9% and the Greens at 1.1%.
The Riigikogu election will take place at the end of March 2027. A party must win at least 5% of the vote to enter parliament.
