Estonia's Social Democrats Rise to Second Place in Party Ratings
In an October poll, support for Estonia's Social Democrats grew to 20%, placing them second behind the Centre Party. Emor sociologist Aivar Voog attributes the rise to prominent politicians joining the party.
The Social Democrats have moved up to second place in Estonia's party ratings in October, according to a survey by the research firm Emor commissioned by the public broadcaster ERR. The party's support reached 20%. Emor sociologist Aivar Voog says the increase is linked to well-known politicians joining the party. Estonia's parliamentary elections are scheduled for March next year.
Change at the top
Support for the Social Democrats rose by three percentage points over the month. The Centre Party is first with 21%, after gaining four percentage points. This ended a three-month decline in its popularity.
Isamaa, which led the ratings for a long time, lost five percentage points in a month, falling from 24% to 19%. That is the party's lowest figure since November 2023, and it has dropped to third place.
The expert's explanation
Voog told ERR radio news that the Social Democrats have a lot of potential because they have become a kind of centre of attraction, with many influential people and politicians joining. He noted that the party's rating had not been this high for 12 years.
In his view, Isamaa's position was hurt by passivity as the elections approach. Other parties have become more active, and the former leader's advantage has narrowed. For almost three years Isamaa held the lead, and in some months its rating was more than 10 percentage points above the others. Now three parties stand in roughly similar positions.
Voog does not rule out further shifts in the balance of power, as ratings could also be affected by politicians moving from the Eesti 200 party to other political forces.
Other parties
The Reform Party and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia each have the backing of 14% of respondents. The Right Wing party's rating fell to 7%. Eesti 200 and Koos each scored 2%, while the Greens and ERK each received 1%.
