Kohtla-Järve opposition initiates vote of no confidence against mayor Maks Kaur again
The opposition in Kohtla-Järve has once again called for a vote of no confidence against Mayor Maks Kaur, accusing him of failing to provide substantive answers to council members' inquiries.
On Thursday, June 25, at the start of the Kohtla-Järve City Council meeting, the chairman of the "Restart" faction, Jaanek Pahka, submitted a motion for a vote of no confidence against the city's mayor, Maks Kaur (Centre Party). In his speech, Pahka cited as the main reason that Kaur does not give substantive responses to deputies' inquiries.
"Mayor Maks Kaur does not provide meaningful answers to questions from city council members. When responding, he uses slogans, general political phrases, and avoids the topic. Substantive and precise answers are often not given. This shows disrespect toward council members and the city's residents," Pahka read from the motion at the podium.
The motion was signed by seven deputies from the "Restart" faction: Pahka, Mare Roosileht, Alisa Linter, Virve Linder, Erik Setshkov, Denis Vershinin, and Juri Kollo. They also proposed convening an extraordinary council session to consider the no-confidence vote.
Council chairman Sergei Lopin (Centre Party) called an extraordinary meeting for Tuesday, June 30, at 5:00 PM. If the no-confidence vote passes, the agenda will include electing a new mayor and approving the composition of the city government.
The previous no-confidence vote against Kaur took place two months earlier, on April 30. At that time, 10 deputies voted in favor, 13 against, one abstained, and one was absent. Maks Kaur has been mayor of Kohtla-Järve since December 2025. The Centre Party holds a majority in the council with 14 out of 25 seats. The opposition consists of the "Restart" faction (7), "Koos" (3), and one independent social democrat, former mayor Henrik Kaselo.
